Wallflower
by AnimalloversInc
Summary: Iris, is a plain jane; a wallflower. She's never had anything exciting happen to her and never taken risks. Until one night at a WWE event, she takes one risk that sends her life spinning! One-shot for now; if you want more chapters let me know in reviews! Dean Ambrose/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**I don't own anyone from WWE or the actual people themselves; except Iris, she is my creation. This is a one-shot for the moment; if enough people review and say they want to know what's going to happen next, I'll continue Dean and Iris' story. Enjoy!**_

I have been a wallflower all my life; I've never done anything daring or exciting until tonight. I should have stayed in my comfort zone; I should have kept my head down and not been so foolish. I can't even tell you what possessed me to do it! It must have been the crowd and all the excitement; I must have thought with everyone screaming, certainly no one would hear my voice. I was wrong. Very wrong. How could I have known he would hear me; that my comment would stick out when other women were screaming the same type of stuff. What made me the special one? You would think someone like me would be thrilled to be special. The truth is I couldn't be more scared right now!

A friend of mine is a huge WWE fan; she constantly tried to get me interested in it. Telling me how gorgeous the men were; I generally rolled my eyes at her, but when she showed me his picture I was a believer. I started looking him up on the internet; finding out everything I could about him, sometimes just sitting there staring at different pictures of him. I suppose I became a little obsessed with him; but who could blame me? His messy blonde hair and those amazing blue eyes, I should have known better; I should have seen the danger lurking behind that handsome façade. When I saw that WWE was doing a show in a city nearby; I bought a ticket and I went without telling everyone where I was going. God; I wish I had told someone where I was going. I wasn't wearing anything sexy or flashy; just a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt. My hair; well there's not much I can do with it really, it was long and a very boring flat brown color. It had absolutely no volume to it; it just hangs straight. Then there are my glasses! I had tried to switch to contacts; but I hated having to put them in and then have to take them back out that evening. So I went back to just wearing my glasses. If you looked up "Nerd" in the dictionary; you would probably see someone who looked a lot like me there. This just further makes me wonder why he would choose me.

I was sitting in the third row behind the barricade; I could see the ring very clearly and as the superstars walked to the ring, I was able to see them up close. I had been enjoying the show; then his music hit, I was going to get to see the real thing finally. The crowd went wild as he started down the ramp; I heard women all around me yelling that they loved him and thought he was sexy. That's when I did it; something so out of character for me. I screamed something like, "What I would give to have you to myself for the night Dean!" I nearly had a heart attack when I saw him stop, turn his head in my direction and look right at me! Actually; it felt like he was looking right through me. He smirked at me and continued walking to the ring. During his match I caught him looking in my direction; my face must have been so red, I could feel the heat from my blushing. Every time he would do something to his opponent; he would look over at me, as if he was saying "See what I'm doing? I'm doing it for you." I know that's ridiculous and that there is no way that he was actually thinking that, but it seemed that way. He won his match; and as he headed to go back up the ramp he stopped again near where I was sitting, looked right at me and smirked.

There was one more match that night and all I kept thinking about was how embarrassed I was that he had heard my comment and kept looking at me. Once the show was over; I filed out of the arena like everyone else. I had parked a little ways from the arena; so now I had to make the walk back to my car in the dark. I am not the least bit aggressive; I tried to take a self- defense class once and when it got to my turn to fight off my attacker I failed miserably. You could barely hear my scream; and I was so afraid of hurting the guy wearing the padding that my punches and kicks barely touched him! As I walked; I tried not to focus on the number of dark alleys I was passing. My thoughts wandered; I don't remember hearing footsteps behind me, at the time if I had I probably would have written it off as another person from the arena that ended up having to park in the same area I had. That was until someone grabbed me from behind; yanking me back towards them. I was so scared; I couldn't manage to get a scream out, the noise I was making was more like a squeaking noise. Whoever it was that grabbed me was very strong, I couldn't even squirm. I realized that I wasn't going to be able to escape my current predicament; my only hope was that whatever was going to happen would be quick, and pray that whoever this was wasn't going to kill me. As suddenly as my mystery attacker had grabbed me, was a quick as things went black after a painful blow to my head.

Honestly; when my eyes opened and things were still dark, I briefly thought maybe I had died and this was what it was really like. However, once my eyes adjusted to the darkness; I realized I was in a room. My first thought as I looked around was, "This looks like a really expensive hotel room bedroom." My head was killing me, I took a quick feel to see if it was bleeding; luckily it wasn't. I hesitantly got up off the king size bed and went to the door; I needed to get out of where ever I was. I carefully turned the doorknob; trying to make as little noise as I could. LOCKED! I knew at this point I am screwed. I'm locked in a room, I have no idea where I am, who brought me here and why. I spotted a window; I went over to see if maybe I could escape out the window. I pulled the curtain and looked out. Well; I certainly couldn't escape that way, it appeared I might be near the top floor of whatever hotel this was. If I attempted to jump; I would definitely die once I hit the pavement below. So I'm stuck here waiting to see what is going to happen to me.

I must have dozed off; I honestly don't know how I could fall asleep when I knew I was probably going to be murdered, but I had. I hadn't heard the door being unlocked or being opened; my eyes opened and I rolled over on the bed so I was facing the door. I was unable earlier to scream; but found it quite easy when I realized there was a figure by the bed watching me. "Angel; you're gonna want to stop screaming. You'll wake half the hotel; and I don't really feel like being tossed out of here." The raspy, male voice said. "That would mean I'd have to knock you out again until I could find a new hotel to stay at with you, get you inside without too many questions and get you situated again. No offense; that sounds like a lot of extra work." He said. I couldn't place the voice; but I would recognize that smirk anywhere! I had been kidnapped by Dean Ambrose? I felt incredibly stupid now; I never should have yelled out during the show, look where it got me.

"What-what are you going to do to me?" I asked him. He chuckled at me. He moved and sat down on the edge of the bed, which made me scoot away from him.

"Isn't it obvious, Angel? I'm going to give you what you wanted; a night alone with me." He gave me a grin. "I have to admit; you're not my usual type, but when I heard you scream that and I saw who had been so bold to put it right out there; got to tell you I immediately pictured a 'Naughty Librarian' or 'Sexy Schoolgirl'. God Angel; you have no idea how hard it is to wrestle in a match when your cock is aching. Hope you don't mind me calling you Angel; I have no idea what your real name is, but you look like an angel when you're sleeping." Dean explained.

I couldn't believe what was happening; the man I had been basically cyber-stalking now had me in his hotel bedroom, god knows where and it certainly sounded like he intended to have sex with me. If this was karma for the cyber-stalking then I was definitely getting the raw end of the deal. "Are-Are you go-going to rape me?" I asked shakily; fearing the answer to the question. He frowned at me and flipped on the bedside table lamp.

"What kind of question is that? Angel, do you really think I'm that kind of guy?" He looked at me like he couldn't even believe the thought had entered my mind. Which suddenly annoyed me; and yet again, instead of keeping my mouth shut and being my usual self; I spoke up. You would think I would've learned my lesson by now.

"Are you serious?! You grabbed me on the street; knocked me over the head, brought me to I assume your hotel room and locked me in your bedroom! Yes; the thought that you were planning to rape and kill me had crossed my mind." I spat out. God I really need to shut the hell up! His frown was gone at least; he looked amused.

"Alright Angel, I admit probably my approach was a bit much. I hate teases, and you'd be surprised how many women scream offers like that, and when I get interested; suddenly they were just trying to get attention. So I decided to be pro-active this time." He was staring at me again. "When I want something; I get it, Angel. I'm no rapist though and just so you'll relax a little, I wasn't planning to kill you either." He chuckled. "Look, I'm sorry I scared you; I'll make it up to you. In fact, I can start right now."

"Your approach was 'a bit much'? You locked me in this room; if you weren't planning to hurt me, why keep me locked up in here?" I stared right back at him. He chuckled.

"Well…looks like my Angel found herself some fight! I like it! I'm sorry I locked you in this room, spending time with you was a last minute decision; and I had promised Seth and Roman I'd grab a drink with them. Couldn't have you running off before I got back, could I?" he smiled. "Like I said, let me make it up to you. I figured you might be hungry; I ordered room service and took the liberty of getting a bottle of champagne. I'm really more a beer guy, but I thought you'd enjoy it. Come on out into the living room, we can get to know each other better."

He headed out into the other room; I considered staying where I was, I wasn't sure I trusted him. Whatever food he had ordered admittedly smelled really good, and I was a little hungry. Well I hadn't exactly done anything smart so far this evening; I might as well not start now. I cautiously walked into the living room. He was sitting on the couch and invited me to sit next to him. I sat down slowly and kept my eye on him. I took the glass of champagne he offered me. God he is sexy up close!

"So, not that I don't enjoy calling you Angel; but since you know my name I think I should know yours." His glass clinked against mine.

"Iris. My name is Iris." I said, not sounding so confident anymore. He raised his hand and I flinched, he put it on my cheek gently.

"Iris. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman; I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." Me? Beautiful? Is he blind? I must have been looking at him oddly. "No one has ever told you that before? Well, clearly they are missing out. I have a feeling Iris that you'll be hearing that a lot more often from now on." He smiled and offered me a plate of food. I took it from him and his hand brushed mine, I swear I felt electricity pass between us. As we ate and talked; I relaxed, he was very different from how this meeting had started. Very charming, complimentary and a gentleman; I never even noticed he had moved closer to me.

He put his hand on my cheek again; this time I didn't flinch. Before I even had a chance to react, he was kissing me. It startled me; it was a deep, passionate kiss and before I knew it I was returning it. It was crazy; like what had happened to me earlier suddenly didn't happen. He broke the kiss, looking into my eyes as he slid my glasses off my face. He began kissing down my neck, eliciting a soft moan from me. He playfully nipped at my jawline; goosebumps raised as a shiver ran through me. His mouth returned to mine for another smoldering kiss. I wasn't used to this; I had only been with one man, and he was my high school boyfriend. A science geek; the hottest thing we had done was the one time he nearly singed both our eyebrows off while attempting to show me his latest 'Cool' experiment. We had a very awkward sexual encounter; neither one of us knew what we were doing and there was a lot of fumbling and odd positions, we did actually manage to perform the act. It was not sexy or exciting; what Dean was doing definitely covered both those bases. I could feel my body responding to his attention. In the back of my mind, I could hear that little voice screaming to me that after what had happened earlier it was absurd to let this continue; the louder voice in my head telling me that this was exactly what I wanted to happen. I felt his hands slide under my t-shirt; his mouth never left mine, I moaned into our kiss as he palmed my breasts. His thumbs circled my nipples; making them hard peaks under my bra and sending another shiver of excitement through me.

"Iris; come with me." He said in his raspy voice, standing up and holding his hand out to me. I took his hand; I didn't even need to ask where we were going, I already knew. I followed as he gently pulled me back into the bedroom where I had been locked just a few hours ago. The room took on a whole new personality now; the air seemed to crackle with electricity, it no longer felt like a prison. As soon as the door was closed he spun me around so my back was against it. "I want to see all of you; can I Iris?" He asked with his mouth just inches from mine. I can't even form the words for a response; simply nodding affirmatively. Slowly removing each layer of clothing like he's unwrapping a present; letting his anticipation of seeing me naked build. Once Dean has me completely bare; I blush a bright red as I watch his eyes wander downward. "Sexy, damn near perfect," he whispers to me. He captures my lips again with his; but this kiss is more possessive than and not as gentle as the others. He spins us both around and walks me backwards until my legs hit the bottom of the bed. He pushes against my shoulders and I fall backwards onto the mattress. He made quick work stripping his clothes off; good god he is so sexy! He moves up onto the bed, straddling my right leg. He moves his left hand up from my ankle to my left hip where it stops. Dean smiles at me and leans his head down, for a brief moment I expect him to kiss me again; but it doesn't happen. Instead two things happen at once, his mouth tugs on my right nipple while his left hand leaves my hip and starts teasing my clit; I gasp and I can feel his smile against my skin. He continues with his sweet torture, until I'm left breathless and shaking in the afterglow of my first orgasm. I hear him sigh and can see him licking my juices from his fingers. "Iris; that was so sexy, you're fucking beautiful when you orgasm." Dean said; lust in his voice before starting another passionate kiss. He shifted his body so he is now settled in between my legs, his hard length on my inner thigh. The blissful fog clears from my head; just as Dean moves the head of his cock to my entrance. I can barely moan before he slowly pushes inside; he makes sure I can feel every inch of him until he's buried deep. We both let out satisfied moans.

"You…are…so…big!" I pant as he starts moving himself; it's a slow, steady rhythm that I'm enjoying. Soon my hips join in; rising off the bed and grinding against his. This is so much better than my first time; I almost can't believe how different the experiences are. When he's all the way inside me; I feel so incredibly full, not only do I not find it uncomfortable, but each time he starts to pull back I'm left feeling empty and crave for him to push back forward.

I can feel his breath on the side of my neck and every so often he murmurs things in my ear that I can't quite make out all of; how good it feels or how perfect my wet tunnel is. He moves just slightly; hooking my leg in his arm and moving my leg until my heel is on his shoulder. He pushes in again; and unbelievable to me, he manages to get deeper inside me thanks to this new position. I hear him curse under his breath and his thrusts become faster. Our moans and the sound of skin against skin echoed in the empty room. He puts my leg down but stays buried in me; wrapping his strong arms around my waist, I shriek in surprise as he rolls us over. He chuckles softly and nips at my neck. Neither of us moves for what seems like an eternity; he slowly strokes my back with his hands, then moves them to each of my hips. "Angel, I'm gonna help you move your body up and down on top of me; all I need you to do is rock those hips forward and back for me, ready?" Jon said against my lips. I nodded and let him lift me up, I moaned loudly as felt myself slide back down onto him, again deeper than before. I had a hard time remembering what he had asked me to do at first; then I suddenly remembered and rocked my hips against him, which earned me a groan from Dean. We built up the rhythm again until we were both panting hard for air. I could feel my next orgasm approaching,

"Oh god Dean; I'm going to cum!" I cried out. His hands had left my hips; since I was now riding him without his assistance. They travelled up my stomach, up to my breasts. He squeezed them while using the pad of his thumb to circle my nipples.

"Do it Iris baby, cum for me." I could tell just from his voice that he had to be close to; but he wanted me to reach my release first. He gave a few rough, deep thrusts in a row and just as he pushed up the last time; I fell apart. Crying out his name and throwing my head back as I came. As enjoyed another mind-blowing orgasm; Dean rolled us back over and started to thrust into me hard and fast. He yelled my name out as his orgasm hit. I could feel jet after jet being released into me, I moaned as he sucked against the base of my throat. Capturing my lips and kissing me possessively again. Dean then pulled out of me slowly and settled next to me on his back. His strong arms pulled me over closer to him. His strong arms wrapped around me; holding me tightly against his chest. He kissed my forehead. "I think you're going to love it in Vegas baby." He murmured to me.

It took a few minutes to process what he had said. "What do you mean? I'm not going to Vegas." I looked up at him confused.

"Of course you're coming to Vegas Iris; to live with me, well when we're in Vegas and the rest of the time you'll be on the road with me." He kissed my forehead again; as if we had discussed this the whole evening. Suddenly; I understood what he was saying to me, when his grip on me tightened it confirmed my fear. He wasn't going to let me go!

"You said you wouldn't kidnap me!" I said, scared again. It didn't make me feel any better when he chuckled at me.

"I may have been thinking about it; I never promised it though, I promised I'd never hurt you. I haven't hurt you. Now that I've had you Iris; I've decided the thought of you somewhere with another man, is never going to happen. You're mine now. I love you Iris and not only do I think you'll love Vegas; I know you'll grow to love me back. Now, it's been a busy night Angel, time to get some sleep. I'll be right here with you." Dean said, rubbing my back slowly.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning; I was lying in bed with the covers pulled around me. I pulled back the sheets and decided to shower and get ready for work; thank god I had decided to only work half a day today. I tried to get out of bed, but I couldn't move; something was holding me in place and I couldn't figure out what it was. I looked down and saw big arms wrapped around me; my head shot to the side and there he was. Dean Ambrose! Last night came flooding back to me; like watching a movie, then I heard him say 'I never said I'd let you go'. Dean Ambrose kidnapped me! I was so stupid to believe that he actually was a good man who just went a little overboard with his approach. OH GOD! I had sex with him! My eyes widened; I had been so caught up in the fact that Dean was seductive, still how could I have forgotten protection. Great! My big mouth got me kidnapped; locked in a room and told that I was staying with him. Now on top of that; my stupid 'crush' on this guy has made me stupid enough to have unprotected sex with my kidnapper! Oh please god, if you can hear me; I want my nice quiet, boring life back! I have to get out of here! I start to try and pull myself free from his arms, when I can't pry his arms apart I try to squirm up towards the headboard in hopes of slipping out of his grasp that way. None of it was working; he's like a fucking vice! I take a deep breath; chuckling starts beside me, making me freeze in my very spot.

"Good Morning Angel, did you sleep well? I know I did. So where exactly were you planning to go?" Dean asked before kissing the back of my shoulder. I jerk my shoulder away from him; not wanting to be touched by him anymore than I am already. Dean chuckles again. "Oh come on Iris; you didn't complain about my mouth on you last night."

"I have to use the bathroom. Let go of me!" I spit out in anger. I can't believe he seems to have no idea why I don't want him touching me!

"Well Angel; maybe, if you say the magic word and give me a kiss, I'll consider it." He winked at me and grinned. I glare at him for a moment; not that I'm much of a threat to him. I let out a sigh.

"Fine; I have to use the bathroom. Please, let go of me." I give him an over-exaggerated smile and quickly peck his lips. Of course; he wasn't having any of that, grabbing my face and kissing me deeply using his tongue to explore my mouth. I pull away from him; and glare.

Dean let's go of me and allows me to get up, "See; if you are just polite good things happen!" He grins. I roll my eyes and run into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. Praying that there's a window I might be able to get out of. I spot a small one; but I think I might be able to get through it. A knock on the door makes me jump. "Iris, In case you were thinking of going out the window to escape; I think I should tell you we're on the 36th floor. You'd never survive the fall; but I'm sure you weren't even thinking about that. He chuckles. Damn it! I use the bathroom and open the door to find Dean leaning against the wall outside the door. I made an attempt to just walk past him; I definitely wasn't going to look at him. I only made it a little ways before he grabbed my hand; it wasn't rough, just enough to keep me continuing to walk. He crossed the short distance between us, until he was in front of me. "I know that this whole turn of events probably isn't how you expected your life to go, Iris. Until last night; it wasn't how I thought mine would go either, but how do you know this will turn out to be such a bad thing for you?" He asked softly.

"You're deranged! How can you kidnapping me and holding me prisoner or hostage; whatever I am to you, not be a bad thing? You've pretty much said you're never letting me go and I'll never see my friends, family and my job again; pardon me if I don't exactly see the bright side to this." I yanked my hand away from him and sat on the bed staring at him.

"Well there's the obvious; I haven't threatened you, hurt you or killed you. I'd say that was a big bright side. Let me ask you something Iris; and tell me the truth. When was the last time you went on a trip outside this city?" His voice was still soft and I couldn't see any signs of anger on his face.

"I don't know, "As I thought about the answer to the question; I found it difficult to remember when the last time was. "It was probably when I went to off to college. What's the point?" I asked.

"See, another bright side; if you're with me you'll not only see the entire country, but places around the world." If the situation was different; that might not have sounded so bad. I had always wanted to do some travelling; just not after being kidnapped.

"Really; and how do you propose I see anything, when I'll probably be locked in your hotel room? It's not like you can just leave me alone; I'll just try to run off and escape." I asked him.

Dean sighed, "Yes, I imagine at first you will have to stay locked up in the hotel or be with me at the arena. When I'm not working however; I could take you out and show you things in each place we go. Do the tourist thing; enjoy some nice meals together. My hope is that after a while you'll enjoy being with me; then you'd be free to do whatever you wanted while I worked and we'd meet afterwards." He smiled.

"I want to go home. I want to go back to my life and until you allow me to do that; then you better have enough guards, babysitter, locks, and chains and make sure I have no contact with the outside world. I will spend my every waking moment trying to escape and if I ever do; I'll make sure you pay for this!" I gave him a defiant look.

Dean raked his fingers through his hair and sighed again. He came closer to me and I moved away from him. "Iris; don't you understand? I am offering to treat you the way you should be treated. You'll get to travel, you'll never have to worry about money, whatever you need or want I'll give it to you. You dream of wearing a designer outfit? I'll not only buy it for you, but unlike some of the people in your life, I'll actually tell you how beautiful you look in it. Makeovers and Spa days; you can go wild with them. Look; once you're settled in here and feel better about things, I'm not opposed to your friends coming to see you. Hell Iris; I'll pay to fly them out first class if it makes you happy and it's what you want. I'll I ask for in return is your company. As far as sex goes; God woman you drive me crazy, I'd have sex with you a million times if that's what you wanted. You already know I would never force you to have sex with me; so if what you wanted was to never have sex again, I would sleep on the couch or the floor or another bed until you said otherwise. Iris, you can't tell me you didn't feel what I did last night; I know you did." He looked at me. I guess he didn't see that I was convinced. "Alright Iris; give me one year, starting today. If in exactly a year from right now; you aren't the happiest you've ever been and it's been the nightmare you seem convinced it will be, you can leave. No questions or arguments. I won't hunt you down again; you won't be injured in anyway. You can just walk away. However; your part of this deal is that you have to give it a fair chance, no walking around being depressed all the time or trying to escape before the year is up. My second part of this deal is that I still won't expect sex from you unless you want it. In fact, I will go so far as to say; that unless you make the first move for that it won't happen at all. A year Iris; a year goes by really quickly, do we have a deal?" Dean looked at me once more; I could see the hopefulness in his eyes.

I try to process everything he has just told me. Ok; I was used to negotiating things. "Before I agree; I have a few terms to add." I looked back at him.

"Tell me what they are; I told you I would give you everything you wanted, I keep my word." Dean responded.

"Ok; first, if you ever threaten me, abuse me in any way; then the contract is void and I get to go home. Secondly, if part of this agreement is me agreeing that during this year; I won't escape and you expect me to believe everything you're telling me, then you trust my word that I won't escape and you don't keep me locked in a room when you're working or out with your friends. My last term is that if at the end of the year I do decide to leave and then I see you or hear of you breaking your word that you'll leave me alone; I will report all of this to the police." I looked at him; he grinned back at me.

"Those are perfectly acceptable terms. Since I've heard yours; I would like to add an addendum to one of them. If you do try and escape, this deal is over and you stay permanently. Do we have a deal Iris?" Dean held out his hand so we could shake on it. I reached out and we shook on it. I know, I'm insane now; but what's a year? It's not that long. Right? Besides; he was planning to keep me indefinitely before. A year sentence to anything is better than a life sentence. "So, I need to get packed up; we're traveling tonight after Smackdown. You can come to the arena with me; watch Smackdown backstage and then we'll leave from the arena." He smiled at me.

"Um…I didn't pack a wardrobe to attend the house show. I only have this outfit that I wore last night." I looked at him; wondering what it is that he would come up with for a solution. He didn't even look phased by the comment.

"That's alright Angel; we have time before I need to be at the arena, I'll get packed up and you can shower. When we're both done; we'll go for breakfast and then I'll take you shopping for clothes and some luggage. Come on; get going in the shower, I'll pack." He smiled at me. I stood there with a dumbfounded look on my face. He must have read my mind; because he chuckled. "Angel; I told you, whatever you wanted or needed, I would get it for you. Listen, I've been wrestling since I was 16 years old; do you know how much money I've spent since I went pro? Not much, it's sitting in my bank account earning interest. I grew up not having much; so it was easy to live not having much. So I might as well spend it on someone special; like you." I looked at him and headed into the bathroom to shower. By the time I got out of the bathroom; sure enough, Dean was packed and ready to go. I grabbed my purse and we left to check out of the hotel. Dean knew this diner not far from the hotel, so he took me there for breakfast. I have to admit; I had really been dying for a cup of coffee, if I had been at my home I would have had my first cup hours ago. The waitress brought me a cup and I practically moaned when I had my first taste of it. Dean chuckled. "Looks like I'll need to make sure our next hotel room has a coffee maker in it."

"Sorry; I usually have my first cup much earlier than now." I looked out the diner window out into the street.

"No need to apologize to me Iris; if the room has a coffee maker, then you'll be able to make yourself a cup at however early you want, instead of having to wait. How is your omelet?" Dean asked me.

"It's very good, and yours?" I responded back to him. I watched him take his fork and cut a piece off it. He speared the piece with his fork and held the fork out.

"Try it; it's excellent." I went to take the fork from him, but he wouldn't let go of it. He grinned. I knew what he wanted me to do, and I'm sure he thought I wouldn't do it. I stood up a little and wrapped my mouth around the fork taking the piece off it. I sat back down and chewed the piece.

"Yes, that is excellent, you were right." I smiled at him. I probably am crazy; starting to feel comfortable with him again. I don't know what it is; but when we're just talking, I somehow forget that he has done all of this stuff to me. I also know that lead to us sleeping together last night; I do have to admit he was right about that earlier. I had felt 'it', whatever 'it' was; like an energy or electricity when we were so close. I did agree to give this year an honest shot; I suppose that's what I'm doing now. Yes, that is what this is; me giving it a shot. Once we were both done eating; Dean paid the bill and we got into his rental truck.

"Oh! I just thought of something; what about my car? I can't very well leave my car where I parked it yesterday for the show. It will end up getting towed." I turned my head towards his.

"Not to worry Iris; It was towed, but before you get freaked out, it was a friend of mine who towed it. I had your car towed to a storage place, so it would be safe." Jon explained. I let out a nervous breath.

"How did you know you'd need a tow truck or any of the other stuff? I know you couldn't have been stalking me." I said.

"No I didn't stalk you. I had to play everything by ear; luckily I have a friend here who owns a tow company, too many times going out to the bars here and getting my car towed off on me." Dean laughed. I couldn't help but laugh along with him; it was an infectious noise.

"Well as long as I don't need to worry about where my car is going to end up; I guess you solved my issue." We drove just a short distance from the diner where we had eaten breakfast and arrived at a mall. Dean put on a baseball hat and a pair of sunglasses; I started to give him a hard time about wearing sunglasses indoors and then it hit me why. "So you don't get mobbed and have to sign 20 minutes of autographs, right?" I looked over at him and he smiled. "Do you mind having to do that? I mean when you're suddenly surrounded by 50 people all screaming your name, does it bother you?"

"It doesn't really bother me; it just makes things harder sometimes. I was a big wrestling fan when I was a kid; I try to remember when the fans ask me for my autograph, what a big deal it would have been for me to have my favorite wrestler sign an autograph for me. It is a pain sometimes; like if you need 1 thing in a grocery store and you figure it will take you 2 minutes; suddenly its 30 minutes later and I still haven't picked up that 1 thing yet. Don't get me wrong; I love our fans, if we didn't have them, none of us would have jobs after all. Sometimes it's just hard; anyways, any idea where you'd like to start?" He asked.

I picked a store; I figured I could find just about everything I'd need clothing wise there. Dean walked in with me and then when he saw all the women and saw the store walls were all pink and girly; he stopped. I turned around to look at him. He pulled out his wallet and handed me his credit card.

"We might as well test this whole trust thing right now huh? Here's my card, buy the whole store out if you want; I'll just sit out here." He pointed to a bench.

I laughed and made a quiet chicken noise. Taking his card I went into the store and started gathering the essentials. I knew at most hotels we'd be able to do laundry; so I didn't go out of control on anything. I was heading to the checkout counter, when I passed a rack of beautiful dresses. I thought; I probably should have one nice dress, in case we go out someplace really nice or a party during the year. I picked one out and headed back into the dressing room to try it on. As I was headed there; I saw a rack of lingerie. It took me a lot longer to think this one over. I supposed that there might be; many months from now that Dean and I might have sex again. I picked up one that I liked and took it with me. The dress fit perfectly. Doubting that he would check the receipt; I decided these two purchases would be my little secret, to be revealed if needed. I was also able to find shoes and work-out clothes; not that I've ever been one to work out, but Dean probably goes to the gym a lot and so I wouldn't get too bored I figured I could go along sometimes. Once the cashier had scanned everything; I gave her the card and signed the slip, I was then headed out of the store with 6 bags of clothes. As promised; Dean was sitting on the bench waiting for me to leave the store. I handed him back his card and thanked him for the clothes.

"You're welcome Iris! Did you need to go to another store or did you find everything you needed?" Dean asked me. He grabbed the bags from my hand and insisted on carrying them for me.

"No, I found everything I needed. Shall we head to the arena?" I ask. I'm not quite sure what he plans to tell everyone there about me. Obviously he can't say, 'Hey everyone, this is Iris and I kidnapped her last night!' So I'm interested to hear how he explains my sudden arrival.

"It is probably a good idea; it might take a while to get inside, fans usually wait outside and want autographs and pictures. I hope you don't mind; but I thought the trip to the next city might be more comfortable for you if we got a bus and I offered to let Roman and Seth ride with us." He said while we walked towards the exit of the mall.

"No, that sounds fine. So there will be a couch or a reclining seat for me to sleep on?" I asked, suddenly extremely glad I bought the t-shirt and shorts to sleep in since there were now going to be two other men on the bus with us.

"There's a queen sized bed in the back, we agreed that you should have that. Roman and Seth will take the bunk beds in the middle of the bus and I'll stretch out on the couch." He and his friends were letting me take the one large bed; it was very nice of them. I felt bad that Dean was going to be sleeping on the couch.

"You said it was a queen sized bed? It's not like I'll take up all that space; you could always sleep on the other side of it. Don't think this is an invitation for sex; but it doesn't seem quite fair for you to sleep on the couch when we each can be comfortable on opposite sides of the bed." I reasoned.

"If you are sure you feel comfortable with that; I would appreciate that. Iris, I meant it when I said; you'd have to make the first move if you wanted to have sex with me again. You don't have to worry about me touching you." Dean loaded the bags into his rental truck; it wasn't a long drive to the arena. Dean wasn't joking when he said there were fans there waiting for the superstars. He called over a man in a suit. "Drake! Nice seeing you man." I watched the two men hug each other; clearly they were friends. "Iris, this is my good friend Drake. He's one of the Refs for the NXT shows." The man looked at me and smiled. "Drake, could you do me big favor man? Could you take Iris inside and maybe take her to catering? I'll come grab you there once I make it through the crowd here."

"I'd be happy to take Iris to catering; try to make it inside in one piece ok?" Drake laughed. "Come on Iris, no one wants to see the female fans trying to grab and maul Dean here." He laughed again.

"I'll see you inside." I said to Dean before walking with Drake into the building. Drake made small talk with me and I found out that he and Dean met while Dean was in FL at NXT. They hit it off after a show one night when they were hanging out at a bar and decided to have a drinking competition. Drake managed to go shot for shot and from then on they were best friends.

So there I was, 'plain Jane' me sitting in catering as several of the Divas wandered in. I just don't understand why he would want me when all of these women are beautiful and sexy; they also wrestle, I couldn't do that. I cry when I stub my toe on my kitchen table. His fascination with me is a mystery. I didn't see the blonde approach the table I was sitting at. "So; you're the one who showed up with Dean huh?" It was clear this woman was not happy with me.

"Yes, I arrived here with Dean. Why?" I asked the rude woman.

"Well just so you know; he and I are together, so you better watch yourself." She snarled.

"Renee!" I heard Dean's voice and looked over towards him. "I've told you a million times. We are not a fucking couple! If I see you harassing Iris again; I swear to god, you'll regret it. Now go flirt with anyone!" Dean said as he stood between her and me. She glared at me again; but then she was smart enough to walk away. "Sorry about that Angel; some people just can't take hints. Come on, I'll get you settled in the locker room." I followed him to the locker room and I couldn't help but smile; thinking about how Dean had stood up for me.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean and I were in his locker room, I sat on the couch while Dean got ready for the show. There was a knock on the door, Dean went to answer it; opening the door to reveal Roman and Seth. He let the two men in and smiled. "Rome, Seth; I want you both to meet Iris. Iris, meet my two best friends; Seth and Roman." I stood up and smiled; shaking both of their hands.

"Very nice to meet you both; Dean was telling me that you'd be traveling with us." I said. I have to say; both men seem very nice and it was immediately clear how close the three men were to each other.

"Well, nice to know our friend is telling someone something around here!" Roman chuckled. "Imagine Seth and my surprise when Dean told us that he had been seeing you for a while and that you both decided to give it a shot being around each other more. You must be a very special woman." He smiled.

So that's how he explained it; he and I have been secretly dating. "Well, we both thought it was best to keep our relationship a secret until we had decided it was going to go somewhere. He has all the fans around and the tabloids follow all of you around. We wanted to have a normal relationship for a while." I smiled, backing up Dean's story. Dean came around behind me and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Well, Seth and I will let you two lovebirds continue you're alone time. Iris, we'll see you on the bus after the show. Dean, see you out there brother!" The three men hugged each other and then Seth and Roman left the locker room. I looked over at Dean who still had his arm around me.

"Thanks Angel; I think that meeting went well. Sorry about the relationship thing; I had to come up with some reason you'd be traveling with me." He smiled at me.

"No problem I guess; I wondered how you were going to explain my sudden appearance." I moved away from him and sat back down on the couch. "I suppose you should get ready for your match. Seth and Roman will be waiting for you." I watched him finish getting ready for his match. He walks over to the couch and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"I'll see you after my match, and then we can head for the bus." He smiled at me.

"Alright, I'll see you then. Good luck with your match." I smiled back, watching him leave the room. If this had been earlier; before we struck our deal and he had brought me here, I would have bolted from the room right now and kept running. However, I had agreed to the proposition; and that included me not escaping. Dean had been very generous at the mall, buying me just about half my normal wardrobe of new clothing; since my clothes were still in my home. Despite being so generous, I still had no idea what made him think that spending a year with him would be such a huge improvement from my normal life. I suppose I had to admit I didn't have men offering to hand over their credit card in the mall and saying; 'buy whatever you want' in my normal life. In fact, there were no men in my normal life; well unless you count poor Mr. Davis next door. Mr. Davis was a widower and was now 88 years old. He had difficultly moving around too much, so I always made sure that I ran out after every snow storm and shoveled his walk-way and driveway. He had never asked me to do it for him, I just did. In return he would sneak small presents onto my doorstep while I was at work. Nothing too exciting; although one time he left me this small wooden box that was all carved. He had made the box himself and then, I imagine while watching TV he had worked on carving it. It made a perfect place to put my keys; which up until then, I was constantly misplacing. As far as I was concerned it was the most thoughtful gift I had ever received and he hadn't even known that I needed such an item. I doubt I can count Mr. Davis as a man in my life; I was busy, my work took up a lot of my time. Ok; that's only true because I make it that way. I had tried to find a man, nothing ever quite worked out. There had been a few dates that I had thought had gone really well; they never called me again after that. The truly awful dates were spilt half and half; sometimes I hear from them again, even though I had hoped not to. The other half never called; which just left me thinking, if this weirdo doesn't think I'm good enough to date, what does that say about me? Now I had a man who was much more attractive than any guy I had ever tried to attract; and I couldn't get rid of him. Irony! I suddenly heard cheering from the TV and realized Dean, Roman and Seth had won their match. I would be sure to congratulate them when I saw them again.

A few minutes later Dean came in, I could tell he was excited about the win; smiling so much. I didn't quite expect him grabbing me off the couch and spinning me around only to then pull me into him in a tight hug. My heart was pounding in my chest; I didn't even notice how sweaty he was. I pulled my head off his chest and looked up at him. "Congratulations on your match," I mumbled when I suddenly realized his face was just inches from mine. I couldn't help blushing.

Dean looked down into my face, "Thanks Iris; you must be our good luck charm. Last time we were in a match with those guys; we lost." He studied my face for a few moments; then moved his face closer. I could almost feel his lips on mine. "I am very happy you kept your promise and didn't run." He said softly as one of his lips just brushed my upper lip. Then just as suddenly as he had moved closer he backed off. "I better go grab a shower, so we can leave." Dean smiled. I watched him walk off towards the shower. I just stood there, frozen; my fingers moving to my upper lip where his lip had touched mine. It was like I could still feel his lip there. It was a few more minutes before I could bring myself to move. Dean came out of the shower area of the locker room dressed in his tight blue jeans and a black tank top, his hair was still wet and hanging every which way. I quickly turned my eyes somewhere else; when I did look back over at him he was grinning, "Ready to go Angel?"

"Yes, I'm ready." I said as I followed him from the locker room to the bus. As I climbed on board the bus, I saw Roman and Seth. "Great match tonight guys; congrats on winning," I smiled. They both thanked me. The four of us sat for a while chatting; of course Seth and Roman wanted to know more about their friend's mystery girlfriend. I decided it was probably best just to use my real life information; so I didn't have to try and remember lies. I of course left out the fact Dean had kidnapped me from the last arena.

"So Iris; what do you do for a living?" Roman asked.

"I dissect tumors." I said trying to explain what I did for a living without using too many technical terms; not that I thought any of them were stupid, it's just I get odd looks even from people who know what it is I do. Already I could see Seth looking over at Roman, who looked over at Seth, they both looked at Dean and finally all three men were looking at me.

"You dissect tumors? Like cancer?" Seth asked, finally breaking the silence that had filled the bus. Again all three men were looking at me.

"Yes, I dissect cancerous tumors; in a lab. Then doctors and scientists study the tumor slices I make to determine what treatments are best for killing that particular kind of tumor." Seth and Roman nodded; so at least it seemed like they understood what it was I do.

"That must be a gruesome job, Iris." Roman said.

"Not really; I've always been a science nerd, so it's actually pretty interesting. Besides, it is helping cancer research; so in a way, I'm saving lives." I explained. I can see them both looking at Dean again; no doubt wondering how the two of us could have possible ended up meeting each other.

"How is it you met Dean? No offense man; but you aren't exactly the science type." Roman asked Dean. I could tell looking at Dean that he hadn't expected this turn of events. I could also tell he had no idea how to explain how we met.

"We met through a co-worker of mine; she's a big wrestling fan and she was always trying to get people interested in it. One day she showed me a picture of Dean; so I decided to go to a WWE event and I waited to meet him outside the arena after the show." I answered. It wasn't exactly a lie; my co-worker had shown me his picture and it was the reason I went to the event last night. I could feel Dean's eyes on me; I couldn't tell if I should be unnerved by it or not. I yawned, hoping to remove myself from the situation all together. "I'm exhausted; I think I am going to head for bed. Good night guys." I got up from the seat and headed towards the bedroom in the back of the bus. I had just finished changing into my t-shirt and shorts when the door to the room opened and shut quickly.

"You dissect fucking tumors?" Dean said in an angry, loud whisper. I was taken aback by his sudden burst of anger. Why was he angry with me?

"Yes, I dissect fucking tumors. What is your problem? Oh and you're welcome for saving your ass out there in front of your friends!" I whispered back angrily.

"Did it not occur to you that it might seem a bit odd I would be dating someone who dissects tumors or anything educated like that?" Dean shot back.

"Oh! I'm sorry; I don't remember you asking me my profession before you kidnapped me! Brilliant plan; clearly you aren't the brains of The Shield. I would say I did a pretty damn good job of covering it with how we met. Next time you decide to kidnap someone maybe you should fill them in on what to say and not to say in front of your friends!" I turned my back to him and pulled the sheets back. I climbed into the bed and shut the light out; leaving him standing there in the dark. I had no desire to hear anything more from his ungrateful mouth. I was so angry I could feel the heat radiating from my cheeks. He started pacing the room; I wasn't watching him, but I could hear his footsteps going back and forth on the floor. Finally I heard the door to the room open and I heard it shut again. I let out a breath I hadn't realized that I was holding.

Hours later I woke up; I quickly glanced over my shoulder to see if Dean had wandered in sometime after I fell asleep to sleep on the other half of the bed. He wasn't there; I wasn't sad or disappointed by that. I was still really angry with him. I left the room and made a quick trip to the bathroom. Out of curiosity more than concern; I walked further towards the front of the bus, there Dean was asleep on the couch. He had curled himself up; almost like a cat would, I figured he must be trying to stay warm. It was a chilly early morning on the bus. I looked around and couldn't find a blanket; but quickly remembered the quilt in the bedroom. I may be pissed at him; but I wasn't a complete bitch. I brought the quilt back to the front and laid it over him before walking off.

Dean woke up around 7; he had no idea what time he had fallen asleep. First the fact he had been such an ass to Iris had kept him awake; then being cold had kept him awake, but he wasn't about to head to the bedroom for anything. He must have eventually dozed off; he did know that he wasn't cold. When he opened his eyes he saw the quilt lying over him. At first glance he figured that Seth or Roman must have put it on him. Once he got a better look at the quilt; he realized he had seen it in the bedroom lying across the bottom of the bed when he had dropped their bags off. Iris had brought the quilt out and put it on him? After he had been such an irrational, asshole to her; when all she had done was told the truth and helped him cover his lie. He sat up and ran his hands through his hair. He had really fucked up and she still had done something nice for him. He really had to fix this; here he was trying to convince her stay after the year was up and he gets angry at her. He yelled at her; quietly yelled, but it was still yelling and she could very well consider that a breach of 'no abuse of any kind' stipulation of their deal. He stood up and considered what he could do. Then he remembered she enjoyed a cup of coffee early; he knew 7 wasn't terribly early but as far as he knew she was still sleeping. Dean made a pot of coffee, and managed to remember how she had fixed it in the diner; 2 creams and 1 sugar. He took the cup and made his way back to the bedroom. He opened the door quietly and set the cup of coffee on the bedside table closest to the side she was sleeping on. He started to leave the room.

"What's this for?" I asked; half-awake from the smell of coffee.

"Peace offering; and a thank you for the quilt," he said in response. He came back over and sat on the edge of the other side of the bed. I sat up and took ahold of the mug; carefully taking a sip of the hot liquid.

"This doesn't make up for last night you know. If you're trying to prove I'm better off with you than in my life before; you did a crappy job of it last night." I stated with no expression on my face.

"I'm sorry about last night; I had no right to get angry with you like that, especially since you did save my ass. You were right when you said I'm not the brains of The Shield; hell I barely finished high school. I knew I wanted to wrestle so college wasn't even something I cared about. If it had been up to me I would have been a high school drop-out and started wrestling when I was 14. I unfairly took my anger at myself on you. I should have asked you what you did for a living; I keep telling you how much better your life would be with me and I don't know much about your life." Dean said while looking over at me. I refused to make eye contact with him; instead choosing to examine the coffee mug with way too much interest.

"I accept your apology, and I'm sorry for implying you were stupid; I said it out of anger and hurt. I'm book smart, clearly not that street smart or you would have had a harder time kidnapping me off the sidewalk. You're street smart; that doesn't make you less intelligent than me. Neither one of us would last very long in the other's job. However; I will not be yelled at and berated like I'm 5 years old. If you do it again, not only will I shut the light off in your face again; but I'll let you freeze your ass off out on that couch!" I looked over at him; he was grinning.

"Angel, you do know the way to shut down a fight; I'll give you that. When the light went out I honestly was shocked." He chuckled and I couldn't help but grin.

"You can blame my mother for that; well she used to just stand up and leave the room. We knew if she left the room; conversation was over, period. My father was even smart enough not to follow her to the next room. We're on a bus; if I had gone into the other room your stubborn ass probably would have just followed me, so I figured shutting the light off sent the same message." I smiled.

"My stubborn ass?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "On a different subject; is that story about the wrestling fan friend a true one? Did you show up at the event to see me?"

I grinned this time; "You'll never know."


	4. Chapter 4

We arrived at the next city and I was dying to get off the bus for longer than an hour. Dean offered take me around to some of his favorite spots, no doubt as a way to make up for the other evenings argument. I had gotten to know Roman and Seth quite well on the drive here. At one point; Roman had pulled me aside to ask me if things were ok. I told him Dean and I had an argument, but that we were working it out. Roman told me that he noticed how much more focused Dean was since I had come for my visit. I took it as a compliment. Currently we were in Las Vegas; I had never seen anything like the strip before in my life, it looked even more exciting than when you saw it on TV. Dean didn't let on that he actually lived here in Vegas. He stopped at gas station and grabbed a couple bottles of water, "Ready to see my favorite place in the world Angel?" He smiled.

"Absolutely, let's go." I responded. I wanted to know where this man considers to be his favorite place to be. He started driving outside the city; before I knew it we were in the middle of the desert. He pulled up to the bottom of a large rock formation.

"Come on Iris, we're going up." My head turned to look at him, wide-eyed.

"What do you mean up?" I asked nervously. Surely he didn't mean we were climbing to the top of that rock.

"We're going to hike up the rock here; are you afraid of heights? He grinned.

"I'm not afraid of heights; I'm afraid of falling from a height." I said looking up to the top of the rock.

"Don't worry Iris; I'm not going to let you fall. It's not a bad climb at all; I do it every time I'm here. Do you trust me?" He took my hand and we headed for the bottom of the rock.

"I guess I trust you." We started the climb; which wasn't bad. We got to one spot where we had to jump over a small opening in the rock and I was terrified at first. He helped me jump over it. Finally we reached a flat area. Dean sat on the edge and looked out at the endless desert. I went over and sat down next to him. "It's beautiful out here. How did you find it?" I asked; when he turned to look at me his hair had fallen into his face. I absent-mindedly reached over and brushed some of it away from his forehead. I honestly hadn't realized I had done it; until I realized he was staring at me. "Sorry; I don't know why I did that."

Dean chuckled at me, "You don't need to apologize; it was sweet. My apartment isn't far from here; I came out to the desert to do some workouts, running mostly. That's how I found this rock formation; and one day I just decided to see if I could climb it. When I got up here; it was so quiet and you can just see everything, it just became the place that when I'm home I do my thinking. I thought maybe you'd enjoy seeing it." He explained; and I absolutely understood why he'd feel that way about this place. It was very peaceful.

"Thank you; for bringing me here, it's probably one of the coolest places I've ever been. So you live here in Vegas when you aren't on the road?" I was curious; we both knew from the other night on the bus that we knew very little about each other.

"Yes, when I'm not on the road I call Vegas home; I just have a two bedroom apartment it's nothing fancy. Mostly because I'm always on the road; I grew up in Cincinnati though. Ok, so I met you in Phoenix, is that where you grew up?" Dean asked me; when he turned to look at me he took a double take. I had taken the sweatshirt I had been wearing off, laid back and put it behind my head as a pillow. "Comfortable?" He laughed.

"Yes very, the sky is so blue out here. Phoenix? No. I was raised in Vermont actually; a small town in the southeastern part of the state, Springfield. Not much there; a lot of empty factories." I smiled.

"What kind of factories? He asked.

"Machine factories; during World War 2 the factories made parts for tanks and other things for the military. The town was actually on a list of targets, for the Germans to bomb. If you go there now, by the time seven pm rolls around, the main street is mostly empty; except the troublemakers and people who might have been at the movies or in the bar." I smiled.

"Do you miss it there?" He asked me.

"I miss some things. I miss the change of seasons; although I hated the snow. I miss going to a grocery store and running into everyone you know. That type of stuff; not really any opportunities in my career field there, there is some good news for when I feel like I'm missing home." I smiled over at him.

"Oh? What good news is that?" He grinned.

"Well, I can go into just about any grocery store and buy Cabot cheese and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream!" I chuckled. Dean looked at me like I was speaking in some kind of 'girl code' that he couldn't understand. "What? Both of those products are made in Vermont!" I grinned.

"Ok; I understand now." He laughed. "I couldn't figure out what Ice Cream and Cheese had to do with missing home." Dean took his gray leather jacket off and put that on the ground; joining me in looking up at the sky.

"Do you miss Cincinnati?" I again was curious; I knew he had implied that he had a rough childhood, but still there must be some things he missed.

"Sometimes I miss the wrestling school I went to and the guys that would hang around there; other than that, not really." He replied with a blank expression. I studied him for a moment; I wondered if there was really anyone who truly knew Dean and not just the bits and pieces he let people see. I imagined if any; there couldn't be many of them. I wasn't even fully convinced that even Roman or Seth knew him that well. I wondered if I stayed past the year of our deal; if I would know all of him. "What are you thinking about Angel?" Dean asked, apparently while I was deep in thought he had rolled onto his side; so he was right next to me.

"I was just thinking about life and thinking about missing out on things because you don't just do whatever it is you want to do; within reason obviously. Do you think that if a person 'plays it safe' or 'holds stuff back' that they are really living?" I looked him in the eyes. It was a perfect description of the two of us. I always played things safe; not taking risks, except for the WWE event that started this whole journey. Dean held stuff back; not letting anyone too close to him. Were we both only living half-lives?

"I suppose they think they are really living; but I can see what you're saying and no they probably aren't fully living. It's a hard thing though; once you're used to living your life a certain way, because something has happened to you, then I imagine that you'd feel safe that way. To break out of that way of life is hard; but it can be done. You're proof of that; when you yelled at that event you took a risk; that took courage Iris. I shook my head in disagreement.

"I only yelled that at you because I thought with all the other people screaming; that you'd never hear me. It was a complete fluke that you actually did hear me; and when you turned around and looked at me, I wanted to get very small, very quickly. That is not courage." I responded. I started thinking when the last time I did anything courageous was. All I could come up with was a time in Junior High School when I came across another kid being bullied and I stepped in to stop it. Even then; I had to admit I was very scared that the bully was going to punch me in the face. I suddenly wanted to do something courageous. I grabbed the back of Dean's head and pulled towards mine; initiating a kiss hotter than the Vegas sun. I caught him off guard; but he was quick and eager to return the kiss. His upper body urged me to lie flat; as we continued our kiss, never breaking it until both of us were desperate for air. Despite the kiss ending; Dean didn't move keeping his chest against mine. We locked eyes and within seconds we were locked in another passionate kiss. How could anyone be so damn good at kissing? His arms wrapped around me; he didn't do anything but hold me.

"Now that; was a risk Angel." He chuckled softly; I could feel the vibration of it through his chest. Dean looked down at me, brushed some hair out of my face this time; and took my glasses off. I blinked a few times; it's not that I'm blind without my glasses, but Dean was definitely a lot blurrier without them. "I wonder…" he said, not really finishing his thought.

"You wonder what?" I asked him.

"Didn't you want to be a cheerleader or a prom queen?" His question was serious; but I couldn't contain my hysterical laughter. It is quite possible; if he hadn't been holding me that I would have rolled right off the edge of our rock from laughing so hard. "What's so funny Iris?" He looked at me like I had sprouted a second head.

"Me; a cheerleader or a prom queen? That never would have happened! Those types of girls are beautiful and popular. Then there's me. I didn't even go to prom; no one wanted to be seen with me as their date. I mean look at me. I wasn't or will be that person. I had braces; I was in the science club and the yearbook committee. I was on the student council. Those were the girls that looked down on me and teased me. I never would have been accepted in their groups." I looked at Dean.

"Iris; I am looking at you, you have a very distorted view of yourself. You're beautiful. I'm taking you out tonight; but first I think I need to get you some self-confidence, and I know just the place. Come with me." Dean stood up, brushed himself off and offered me his hand to get up. We made the short hike back down the rock and got back to the rental truck.

"So where exactly are we going?" I asked him as we drove into the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.

Dean chuckled, "Patience Iris, it's a surprise. I promise you enjoy it." He pulled into the parking lot of Caesar's Palace and we went to the check-in desk. Dean quickly booked a VIP two-bedroom suite and whispered something to the man behind the desk. The man nodded and handed Dean two room keys. Dean handed me one of them. "Come on, this is only part of the surprise." Dean smiled.

"What are we doing here?" I was completely confused as to what was going on; but I followed Dean until we arrived in front of a salon. Dean grabbed my hand and pulled me inside; where we were approached by a drop-dead gorgeous woman.

"Good afternoon! How can we help you today?" The woman who had an accent asked.

"This beautiful, young woman here is my girlfriend. She is under the impression that she isn't beautiful. So, I am taking her out tonight and I thought a make-over might give her some confidence in herself. So; here is my credit card, do whatever you think will show her just how lovely she truly is. Money is not an issue." Dean smiled at the woman and then at me. "When you are all done, come up to the room I'll have another surprise waiting for you there. Have fun!" He smiled and left me with the woman.

Before I knew it I was surrounded by people all talking at once; hands in my hair, people looking closely at my face and glasses. The woman with the accent looked at me, "How do you feel about changing your hair color?"

"I…um…don't know? I really don't understand make-up and beauty stuff; it's not really my thing." I shrugged at her.

"No worries; we are all experts and we'll take care of you, then we'll teach you how to do it all." She smiled, I was pretty sure she picked up on my hopelessness when it came to all this. My hair was shampooed, conditioned, colored and extensions were put in to give me more volume. I was currently under one of those salon hair dryers with so much tin-foil you would have thought I was a TV dinner or that I was afraid of aliens reading my thoughts. I could barely see; as my glasses were somewhere else. No one would let me see what I looked like. Once they were done playing with my hair to their satisfaction, explaining the entire time how to style it several different ways; the make-up people came to do their jobs. They had to let me see the mirror at that point, to teach me how to use the various make-up, though my glasses were still nowhere to be found. My hair from what I could see was both lighter in some spots and darker in others; I'm not sure I'm going to like this. The make-up people were all done and now glasses were handed to me. They were not my glasses though, yet they had my exact prescription in them. I finally got to see myself. I couldn't believe it! They had colored my flat brown colored hair a beautiful darker brown, but had put the most amazing red highlights in it. It wasn't just lying flat against my head anymore; the extensions which were dyed to match my hair perfectly made it look full and thick. My make-up was natural looking; except for the deep red lips they had painted on me. The glasses they had somehow managed to get made for me while everything else was being done had a thin wire frame, they weren't what I would have picked for myself; but honestly it was mostly because until now I never would have thought they would look good on me. They made me look less nerdy and sleeker and I might even say sexy. I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time; I had no idea I could look like this. If it wasn't for the fact I was afraid of ruining the make-up; I might have cried. The woman with the accent; smiled. "Beautiful and very sexy; I think your boyfriend will have a very hard time keeping other men away from you, and a harder time keeping his own hands off you!" She handed me several bags filled with hair product, make-up and styling tools. Then handed me back Dean's credit card. I didn't even want to know how much all this cost him; I'm certain that if I knew I would feel incredibly guilty about it.

I walked through the lobby of the hotel; Men literally stopped and stared as I walked by, women even watched me. I even had a man hold the elevator for me! I have to admit; I liked the attention. I found the room Dean had paid for and put my keycard in the lock. When I opened the door, there was really low flickering light coming from inside, but very little other light. I realized there were rose petals on the floor. I followed the trail into the living room area. The blinds were all closed blocking the sun from entering, candles were lit all around the room and there were vases of roses all around. I was so busy looking around at everything; I never heard Dean come into the room behind me, until I felt hand on my hip. "I haven't even seen the front of you yet and already you're amazing!" He whispered in my ear.

"Thank you." I said as chills went up my back. His arm came around in front of me to hand me a glass of champagne. I took the glass from him and managed to slide away from him.

"Where you going, Angel?" Dean asked me in that voice that just made me melt.

"I'm not ready to go out yet; I can't go out in this outfit, not with this new look of mine. I'm going to go change and then you can see what I look like; thanks for the champagne. Be back in a little bit!" I exited quickly to the other room, before he could get his hands on me again. I look through my luggage and find the sexy black dress I had purchased at the store and black heels to match. I slip into both of them, quickly checking myself in the mirror. I reapply a little of the red lipstick and once I'm satisfied with my appearance, I walk back out only to find Dean missing again. "Dean?" I called out. He walked out wearing a suit that was all black; his normally messy, wild looking hair was slicked back. He matched my all black look perfectly, like we had planned it.

"Hold on Angel; I know that this was supposed to be romantic with the candlelight and all; but I really want to see all of you. I have a feeling you won't disappoint!" I could see his grin.

"Well, if you have such a strong feeling; then you'll wait until we go out to see me won't you? If I'm not mistaken; we still have a few hours before clubs really get busy, so I did the right thing by ordering us some food. After all; if you were going for romance with the candlelight and roses, what's more romantic than a candle-light dinner?" I grinned.

"There is that feisty-side again Angel; you know that excites me! Alright, we'll play it your way. Candlelight dinner it is; but don't be surprised if I decide to exercise a change in plans later on." He chuckled.


	5. Chapter 5

A knock on the door got Dean's attention; he gave me a brief grin before turning to answer it. A waiter from the casino's room service came in and set up a small table with the meals I had ordered for us. Dean paid the tab and gave him a generous tip before coming back to join me at the table. The candlelight flickering on his face made him look more dangerous and admittedly sexier. He smiled at me. "What did you order us Angel?"

"I ordered us both steaks with baked potatoes and side salad. I took a guess that you'd like your steak well done." I smiled back at him. I knew he could see at least some of my makeover in the minimal light. I do know that while we ate; he kept stealing glances at me. The look in his eyes was one I remembered very well from the evening he kidnapped me; right before we had sex. I stood up from the table after I had finished my meal. I started to walk past where Dean was seated; I didn't get far, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his lap. Our faces were just inches from each other's, "We should probably go out." I said softly. I could feel his warm breath on my neck and it sent chills down my spine. He placed small kisses against the back of my neck; it made me moan.

"You smell good Iris, so damn good. You are beautiful; everything I could want. Why don't we stay in?" Dean whispered in my ear. I was starting to think maybe that was a good idea; he was starting to wear me down. Then again; I'd never really experienced anything like being out in a club, especially not a Las Vegas club. I definitely had never been any place like that as the girl on the arm of someone who looked like Dean.

"You wanted to take me out; something about self-confidence? Come on, I've never been to a nightclub dancing before." I looked at him and he allowed me to stand up.

"Then you're right we should go out; but Angel, you're making it very hard for me to stick to my word about not starting anything sexual." He grinned; putting his arm around my waist and steering me towards the door. We walked through the hallways and the lobby of the casino; walking past the blinking, excitement of the slot machines and gaming tables. We could hear the dance music all the way down the hallway, we walked into the nightclub; it was exciting. It was packed; people everywhere, Dean escorted me to the bar so we could get drinks. He ordered a few different types of shots; not sure what I would enjoy. I turned around to look at him; his mouth was open as he took in my make-over completely. He grabbed a shot and downed it quickly; he took my hand and led me to the dance floor. He spun me around and held me close to him; my back against his chest. We started swaying, his hands on my hips. I was taken by surprise when he pulled my waist into him and ground; I knew I shouldn't but I decided to grind back against him. He growled in my ear. We sat at a table after the song was over and had a few drinks; I admit that I'm not much of a drinker and so it only took a few to get me buzzed. Dean excused himself for a moment. A song that I liked came on and I went out to dance; I felt a pair of hands on my waist and I assumed it was Dean. The hands travelled up my side and around to my front, squeezing my breasts. I moaned again; until the hands that were on me were suddenly ripped away from me roughly. I heard a commotion and turned around to see Dean punch some guy I didn't know.

"What's going on? Why did you punch that guy?" He grabbed my wrist and practically dragged me back to the room. "Dean; you're hurting me!" He let go of me.

"Angel; you think it would be funny to be flirting with that guy? To be grinding up against him like a slut?" His eyes were burning with fury as he stalked closer to me.

"I didn't know it was someone other guy! I thought you had come back and were dancing with me again. I didn't even see the guy until I turned around to see you hit him. Who do you think you are to call me a slut? You go to hell!" I stormed into the bedroom and locked the door behind me. What had started as such a wonderful evening; was now ruined. I slid onto the bed, curled up and sobbed. I never had been called something so cruel. After spending a little while crying; I turned on the bedside table, my wrists still really hurt from where he had grabbed them and dragged me to the room. I rubbed them a bit; only to realize they each had bruised. I searched through the luggage until I found the outfit I had been wearing when he grabbed me. I changed into that outfit and used the phone to call the front desk. Once I had secured myself a new room, I grabbed my purse and walked back out to the living room. Dean was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands; he looked up as I entered the room, I was sure I must have looked like hell, with all my make-up running from crying but I didn't care. I only cared about getting out of there and getting the hell away from him.

"Shit! Iris; I didn't mean to make you cry. I just saw that guy dancing with you and I got jealous." He stood up and started walking towards me. I quickly put my hand up, in front of me.

"Don't you dare; come near me or touch me! I swear to god if you do I am going to scream until security shows up! You broke the terms of our agreement! You left bruises on my wrists from dragging me back here; and what hurts more than that is that you would call me a slut! I almost fell for it, " I laughed bitterly. "I almost bought in to you being a good guy; but you aren't, you're a liar! You're a scumbag and I hope I never see you again! I left everything you bought me in the bedroom; I don't want anything from you! I'm leaving! I glared at him as I walked past him and headed for the door. Dean looked crushed; but again, I didn't care. I walked out and headed for the lobby; the young woman behind the check-in desk looked at me and was suddenly very concerned.

"Miss; I don't mean to pry, but I can call security for you if someone hurt you." She offered kindly. I looked at her and shook my head.

"I'm fine; I just need the key to my room and a hot shower. Thank you though." The woman gave me a weak smile, like she wasn't sure but handed me the key. "Thank you." I said to her and made my way to my new room. Once I was inside the room, I locked the door. I sunk to the floor on the inside of the door and sobbed uncontrollably. I wasn't sure what I was going to do next; I was in Vegas, the only people I knew were Roman, Seth and him. I had no vehicle at the moment. Once I made it back home I had no idea where he had my car towed to and how to get it out. His anger had happened so fast; he hadn't even given me the chance to explain anything. I wouldn't have been dancing with some strange guy; but I thought it was him behind me and I was buzzed. I managed to get up off the floor and strip my clothes off. I got into the shower and just let the hot water run over me. I was feeling stupid and numb; I couldn't think about anything more tonight. I toweled off and climbed into the bed; I'm not sure exactly how long it took me to fall asleep, but I know it was a pretty restless night. Dean kept creeping into my dreams.

I woke up the next morning alone; I made a phone call to my best friend, Ally. She was so relieved to hear from me; when she asked where I had run off to, I attempted to fight off tears and told her I had made a horrible mistake. I had arranged a flight home already; and asked if she would pick me up at the airport when I landed. Ally immediately said yes; that she would pick me up and then we could go to my place and talk. I wanted nothing more than to be in my own apartment and go back to the way my life had been. I jumped when I heard a knock on the door; I quietly walked over and looked out the peephole to see who it was. I was surprised to see Roman standing outside the door with the luggage Dean had bought me. I unlocked the door and opened it slightly; "Roman; what are you doing here?"

"Don't worry Iris; Dean isn't with me or hiding around the corner, I just wanted to make sure you were ok. Can I come in?" I glanced around him in both directions; just in case, and then let him in. I motioned to a chair as he pulled the luggage inside the room. He sat in the chair; while I took a seat on the sofa. "You look exhausted; but I can understand why. Before you say anything Iris; I'm not here to defend Dean. He called me after you left last night and told me everything. There is absolutely no excuse for anything he did; especially the kidnapping and then last night." He sighed. "Dean tends to do things without thinking about them first. I will just say this; I believe him when he told me that he loved you. I've never seen him as upset as he was last night. Not that this in anyway means much; but he does feel really bad about hurting you last night, physically and verbally." Roman said softly.

"I don't care how badly he feels, Roman. I'm sorry; I know he's your friend. He dragged me out of that club and back to the room by my wrists and bruised them. I was scared Roman; he was so angry; he never even gave me a chance to explain anything! He just called me a slut and came at me again. I ran and locked myself in the bedroom Roman; I was terrified he was going to hit me or worse! I've never seen a look like that in a person's eyes before. I'm going back to my life; I don't want to see him ever again. Roman; if you are his friend, you tell him to stay away from me. I will call the cops and get him arrested and gods forgive me for whatever reason, I don't want to have to do that; but I will." I watched Roman nod in understanding.

"I understand Iris, and I will make sure he understands what will happen if he contacts you. He did want you to keep all of the clothes and whatever else he bought for you; he said it was all gifts to you and it is the least he could do for all the trouble he caused you. Honestly, I don't want to have to lug it all back up to his room. Please take it; sell it if you want when you get home, whatever you want to do with it. I'm sorry all this happened to you; although, it was very nice to meet you." Roman smiled. "Do you have a plan on how to get back home? Maybe I could help in some way?"

"No; I'm ok, I'm catching a flight back in a few hours and a friend is picking me up from there. I'll take the stuff; but I'll probably donate it all or something. I know you and Seth had nothing to do with any of this; it was really nice to meet you both, please tell Seth I said goodbye. Thank you for checking on me and making sure I'd be ok getting home. I just want this whole thing over." I said to him as he stood up; I walked him to the door. He surprised me by giving me a hug before saying goodbye; Roman had been so truly nice to me, that I hugged him back. After Roman left; I got things ready to leave. I went and checked out of my room and headed for the airport in a cab. Several hours later my flight touched down in Phoenix. Everything that had happened over the past few days; seemed blissfully miles away, I felt safe. Ally was waiting for me at the baggage claim; as soon as I saw my friend, I hugged her. It was such a relief to have a friendly face; in familiar surroundings, I quickly grabbed my luggage and we headed to my apartment. The ride to my place was silent; I'm sure Ally was tried to figure out a way to ask the questions she was dying to know the answers to. She helped me get my luggage into the apartment; I sat down on my couch and took a deep breath, Ally sat across from me in one of the chairs.

"Iris; I was worried sick about you! You just disappeared; no messages, no phone calls. Where were you?" Ally asked looking at me with concern.

"I made such a big mistake Ally; and I am so sorry I worried you. I met a man the other night; I was really attracted to him and I got carried away. I decided to take some time off work and get to know him better. Ally; you have no idea how great it was going at first, a few small glitches at first but then he was so thoughtful. He made me feel good about myself and he was outrageously generous." As I talked about what had happened; emotion overwhelmed me and I started to cry. Ally came over, sat next to me and just hugged me.

"So what happened? If he was generous and made you feel confident in yourself; why did you leave?" Ally asked me softly.

"We were in Vegas; he took me out dancing at a club, he said I needed to learn to be more self-confident and really see whatever one else saw when they looked at me. At the club we had a few drinks; and you know me, I very rarely drink anything. I got buzzed; but still things were wonderful, he took me out and we were dancing together. He is so sexy Ally! Anyways; he excused himself to the bathroom and I stayed out on the dancefloor dancing. He came back and was dancing with me again; or at least I thought he had. Turns out it was a random guy, who just came up and started grinding on me. Ally; I never saw the guy, but suddenly the guy was pulled off me and when I turned around to see what was going on; Dean was punching the man. Dean grabbed me by my wrists and practically dragged me back to our suite. When we got there; I told him he was hurting me. He got so mad; Ally, it happened so fast! He said that I was flirting with that man and he called me slut." I cried.

"That asshole called you a slut? Iris; you are the furthest thing from being a slut! Who is this Dean guy and where can I find him? I'm going to find him and kick his ass!" Ally said.

"It got worse; he held my wrists so tight, he left bruises. I couldn't stay with someone like that. He never even let me explain anything." I wiped my tears. "So I came home; I never want to see him again."

"If he ever shows up; I will personally beat him senseless for you." Ally put her arm around me. "Iris; you look so tired, I'm going to go and let you get some sleep ok? I'll come back tomorrow and check up on you. You did the right thing; any man who would put their hands on a woman doesn't deserve to be with someone as special as you. Get some sleep; see you tomorrow." I walked Ally out and locked my apartment door behind her; I hadn't realized just how tired I was until that moment. I walked upstairs and crawled into my bed.

_**Six Months Later:**_

I had settled into my life again easily; days blended together, only I couldn't shake my thoughts of him. Those thoughts turned into dreams that haunted me each night; keeping me awake. On the nights I did manage to fall asleep; I found myself having the dreams that seemed so real, I would swear Dean was actually in bed caressing me. Ally has been rolling her eyes at me over the last few months and I know she should be right; I should still be pissed, he put his hands on me. Hell; the bruises he left on my wrists were the smallest infraction he had made, if you considered the kidnapping and I know everyone would. Still; I couldn't help wondering what he was doing, if he was alright and if he had been thinking about me to.

I got home that night going about my normal routine; fixed myself some dinner, which sadly consisted of a frozen TV dinner and sat on the couch. I suddenly realized there was a set of eyes watching me; I glanced over to my left and saw the cat I had hoped would occupy me enough so that I wouldn't be constantly thinking about Dean. She was watching me take every bite of food; no doubt hoping I would share. I grabbed the remote and started to flip through channels; I hit the channel up button once more and landed on Monday Night RAW. I had forgotten it was even Monday; I put the remote down and started to watch. Seth was in the ring standing next to a large poster sized picture of Dean. He proceeded to talk about how no one had seen or heard from Dean in several weeks and he wanted to remind everyone why. He had them play footage from RAW a few weeks earlier; it was grisly footage of Dean being held down by Kane with his head resting on cinder blocks, I then watched shocked as Seth "Curb Stomped" Dean's head through the cinder blocks. The camera then went back to Seth who was laughing; saying that he had successfully ended Dean's career and he would never be heard from again. I felt sick; No matter how careful these guys were, that had to have caused him some kind of serious injury. Even at my angriest moment; I never would have wanted Dean seriously hurt, no one deserved that. I briefly considered calling Roman; but I knew he probably was at RAW working. Quickly grabbing my tablet; I looked for any information I could about Dean, all I could find is that he had been injured and no one had seen him since he was stretchered out of the arena. I was feeling nauseous; knowing that I certainly couldn't eat the rest of my frozen meal I decided to lock up and go to bed.

I had actually managed to fall asleep; that was until my doorbell rang, I was going to ignore it but it rang again. I rolled over and looked at the clock; it was midnight, which could be at my door at midnight? It had to be Ally; she must have been out drinking and found her way to place. I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the front door. "Ally; I was sleeping, I should leave you out in the hallway!" I grumbled as I opened the door. I looked up and my mouth dropped open; it wasn't Ally.

"Iris; Please don't shut the door, I was hoping we could talk." He said; I grabbed him and held him tight to me. He didn't move, just stood there and let me hold him. "Iris? Are you ok?" He asked sounding concerned.

"You're ok; you aren't hurt?" I mumbled into his shoulder. I took a step back to get a better look at him; so I could see that he was still intact.


	6. Chapter 6

"Angel; why would you think I was…Oh, the cinder block thing on RAW? I'm fine. That was well rehearsed and well planned out weeks ahead of time. Wait; you're watching RAW?" He asked with a slight grin.

"I was flipping through channels and landed on it this evening; Seth was in the ring giving you some kind of memorial service, during which he showed the footage of him slamming your head into some cinder blocks. Why would they do that to you?" I asked, in a tone which sounded half relieved and half annoyed; I felt stupid for worrying so much about him.

"They had to write me off TV; I'm going to Canada to film a movie. Iris; would you let me in so we can talk, and before you say anything, I know you don't owe me anything. I broke the agreement; but worse, I broke my promise that I would never hurt you. You had every right to leave me exactly the way you did. Please let me in Iris." He pleaded with me; I stood in the doorway of my apartment wrestling with the voices in head. One voice was saying, 'Don't let him in. Don't let him back into your life.' The other voice was saying, 'You've missed him. There were good times; at least hear him out.' Several minutes later I stood off to the side so he could come in.

"I will listen to what you have to say; but I make no promises." I said as I shut the door behind him. I offered him one of the chairs in my living room; I took a seat on my couch. "What did you want to talk about Dean?" I asked, but I knew full well what he wanted to talk about.

"Angel; there is no excuse for what I did to you that night, I know that. The fact that you tried to tell me what happened and I was too jealous to hear you out is just as bad as putting bruises on you. I wish I could go back and do all of it over again; but I can't. I know that I haven't been able to think about anything but you since you left; I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I was about my behavior that night. Now; I know I agreed that if you made the decision to leave, that I wouldn't contact you again or you could call the cops on me. You can call them now if you want; I will go with them willingly and face whatever punishment I deserve for the things I did to you. Thank you for letting me speak my peace first." He looked almost defeated as he finished talking; then he looked into my eyes from the chair.

I sat quietly; time felt like it came to a complete stand-still. I carefully considered my options. "It started as such a wonderful evening, we were being playful with each other, we had a romantic candle-light dinner; and then we went out dancing. I had never felt so special; and I certainly had never danced with anyone before the way I was dancing with you that night. Despite how amazing it started; it only took you minutes to ruin the whole thing. I had put a lot of faith and trust in you; I didn't have to make that agreement with you, I could have taken my chances and hoped I would escape at some point. You saw that guy grinding on me and instead of trusting me enough to know that I never would have let anyone touch me like that unless I thought it was you; you dragged me by my wrists up to the room so forcefully that you left bruises and you called me a slut. Do you even understand how scared I was of you? You got so angry so fast; it's why I ran into the other room and locked the door, I had no idea what was going to happen next. How can I trust what you're saying now? You say you're sorry; but if something else happens, will you just end up owing me another apology? I don't deserve to be treated like that Dean; and I shouldn't have to constantly wonder when the next time you'll explode will be." I looked him right in the eyes. "I'm sorry Dean; I think you really are sorry about what you did that night and ultimately, I accept your apology. I won't call the police; but I need you to leave. I hope your movie does well and that you have a good life, but I can't make the same mistake twice." I had to work extremely hard not to shed the tears I felt building. I stood up and walked to my door; opening it and praying that he would go on his own, that he wouldn't force me to have him arrested. To my surprise; Dean nodded and walked out, he made a quick glance back at me. I wanted to tell him to come back; I wanted to tell him that I had been thinking about him as well and most of all I wanted to feel him close to me again. I didn't do any of those things; I watched him walk away from my door and after I could no longer see him, I locked my apartment door. I headed back to my bedroom, crawled into bed; pulled the covers up over me and silently cried myself to sleep.

I knew I had done the right thing when I woke up the next morning, I knew I couldn't trust Dean when he said it would never happen again. How could I trust him? He told me in the beginning that he would never hurt me and he did. I know we are human and humans make mistakes; but suppose the next time it was something more than just grabbing me by the wrists? What if the next time he pushed me or hit me? I knew I had done the right thing; so why did my heart hurt so much? I finished my cup of coffee and got into the shower to get ready for work.

I arrived at work that morning and went about my usual work. It was almost lunchtime when my lab director came in to the lab where I was busy working. I looked up and said good morning to her; I couldn't help but notice the unfamiliar face standing behind her. "Good morning Iris. I just stopped by to introduce you to Dr. Michael Curtis; he has accepted the open Pathologist position. Dr. Curtis, this is Iris Reynolds. She is our very best Histotechnologist in the lab." Miranda, our lab director said as she introduced us. I smiled and took off my pair of gloves so I could shake his hand. He had a medium build; around the same height as Dean. He had light brown hair, green eyes and a very warm smile. He moved forward towards me and took my hand; I thought he was just going to shake it, but he held it in his for a moment before shaking it.

"Well; I'm very happy I'll get a chance to work with the best histotechs you have on staff. It's very nice to meet you Iris." Michael smiled.

I blushed, "I'm not sure I would consider myself the best tech on staff; but I appreciate Miranda being so complimentary. Please feel free to let me know if you have any preferences on how you like your slides; and I'll do my best to accommodate you." I said as I took my hand back. He was handsome; not as handsome as Dean, but he probably would have come in second place if it had been a contest.

"I will definitely let you know about the slides Iris. I hope I see you around again soon." He smiled at me and then followed Miranda out so they could continue their tour. On went a new pair of nitrile gloves and I continued to make slides of the tumor I was working with. We ended up working together on a few tumors after that first meeting; I was impressed that he didn't have a huge ego; instead he had a wonderful sense of humor and often led animated and lively discussions. He insisted that I call him Michael; although I often slipped and called him Dr. Curtis, he would just chuckle and respond by calling me 'Ms. Reynolds'. During one of our conversations; he managed to work in asking me if I were single. He seemed surprised when I said yes; though maybe he was just trying to be polite. He shared that he was also single. It was another two months since we had the conversation when he asked me one day if I'd like to have dinner with him one night. I wasn't sure what to say; I was still thinking about Dean on a regular basis, it had been two months since I sent Dean away. I smiled at him and told him I'd think about it.

It was three days after Michael had asked me out on a date; I was looking at myself in my bedroom mirror trying to decide if I looked ok. I had told Ally about the date offer and she got excited. She basically ended up telling me that I needed to 'Get back on the horse' and start dating a 'good man'. Ally's idea of a 'good man' was pretty much any man other than Dean. I still wasn't sure about doing it; until Ally pulled out her secret weapon. She told me that if I didn't at least give Michael a chance; that she would stop being my friend. I know most people would have just laughed at that; but Ally was one of the few friends I had, the thought that she might be serious was enough to send me in to the lab the next day and agree to dinner. I was extremely nervous; I could feel my heart beating in my chest. I nearly had a heart attack when my doorbell rang. I checked the mirror one more time; I was wearing the dress Dean had technically bought me, along with the black heels. I hadn't sold or given away any of the clothes from that day, but the last time I had worn either item was the night Dean took me dancing and everything ended. I walked to my door and opened it to reveal Michael in a gray suit. He smiled at me. "You look amazing Iris; are you ready to go?" I nodded in response and locked my door behind us.

We arrived at a very nice restaurant; we both ordered our meals and some wine. I was enjoying the date very much and there wasn't one awkward silence during our meal. I discovered that he was also a New Englander; born and raised in Maine. He couldn't believe that I was from Vermont; he even knew the town I had grown-up in. His family visited Vermont often to ski during the winter and one of their favorite spots was Okemo Mountain. His family had driven through Springfield multiple times each winter when he was younger. He joked that we could have met each other when we were kids at a store or walking down the street. He really was very charming and intelligent; before we realized it, our waiter came over to let us know that they were about to close for the night. Michael apologized and paid our bill. Once we were out in the warm, spring air Michael paused to turn and look at me. We made eye contact, "I'm not sure about you; but I've really enjoyed this evening. So much so I'm not quite ready for it to end. What would you say about going on a walk; we're in a great area, cute little shops. They are closed now, but we can look in windows." He smiled and waited for me to respond.

I smiled back at him, "That sounds like a very nice time. I'd like that." Michael offered me his hand and we walked down the small sidewalks. We stopped to glance in some of the storefronts and held hands. As our walk continued, he smoothly put his arm around my shoulder. We arrived back at his car; he walked me to the passenger side and before opening the door for me; leaned down and kissed me. I returned the kiss and wrapped my arms around his neck. I smiled as we pulled away from each other. Michael opened the passenger side door for me and drove me back to my apartment. We kissed again before saying goodnight. I went inside, changed into some sleep clothes and fed the cat. I decided I better text Ally and let her know I was safe and that she was right, I had a great time. I wasn't surprised to get a text right back saying she told me so. I chuckled and headed for bed. The next morning when I arrived at work, I was greeted by Michael holding a cup of coffee for me in one hand and flowers in the other.

"I had a great time last night Iris; I can't remember when I have had that much fun in quite a while. I was wondering if you might want to go out with me again." He gave me a goofy smile and handed me the flowers and coffee. I went up on my toes and gave him a quick kiss.

"Thank you for the flower, the coffee and most of all the date last night. I had a good time also; and I think we can probably arrange another date." I grinned. "Now we probably should get some actual work done." I met Ally later that evening for drinks and told her all about the date. "He is a genuinely nice man, witty, intelligent and handsome. We ended up closing the place down, and then we went for a walk. He is a great kisser. When we got back to my apartment we kissed each other goodnight and that was it. He didn't try and sleep with me; he never even suggested it. When I got to work this morning; he met me with a coffee and some flowers and asked me out again." I gushed.

"And you said?" Ally asked, practically bouncing in her chair.

"I said that I thought we could probably go out again." I laughed. She hugged me and told me how happy she was for me. I got home around 8 that evening, shut off my phone, locked up my apartment and settled on the couch. I turned the TV on and switched over to USA; it was Monday night and time for RAW. This secret ritual I had developed over the past few months. Dean had returned months before after filming his movie and I just couldn't help myself. There was just something about Dean that kept drawing me in. I knew Michael was a wonderful man, I knew he liked me a lot and I knew I was safe with him. Still, I couldn't let go of Dean and the wild excitement I felt when I was near him. I felt guilty; could watching and thinking about Dean be cheating on Michael? Dean came out for his match against Bad News Barrett; he looked so good. He lost the match; but stole the Intercontinental Title Belt from Barrett. I had to laugh; Barrett was irate! I headed off to sleep. My dream that night found me in a hotel room bed; I was naked with just a sheet covering me. I smiled and said, "Hurry up baby; I'm getting lonely in this big bed by myself." I just knew it was going to be Michael walking in to join me, I waited patiently. In walked Dean; giving me his cocky grin, naked except for the title belt he had stolen.

"Sorry I kept you waiting Angel; you want to see this belt up close?" He grinned again and slid into the bed.


	7. Chapter 7

Every night for the last week I'd had the same dream; and every night I thought for sure that the dream would end differently. I went to bed hoping that the person who would walk into that hotel bedroom would be Michael; but each night was exactly the same, Dean naked with the Intercontinental Title belt on. If it were just affecting my sleep habits at night it would be one thing; but it was starting to crossover into my daytime as well. I would be working away and Michael being sweet would surprise me with a cup of coffee or maybe even just sneak up behind me to give me a hug and I would jump. The first morning it happened; I nearly spilt a coffee down the front of him, he surprised me and my arm jerked. The next time he came up behind me and put his arm around me and I screamed. It was starting to cause a strain and I knew I was the one causing it. It was Monday; we headed off to lunch together, I thought it was time to talk to him. I was surprised when he beat me to it. "Iris, I'm starting to feel like I'm losing you and I don't know how to get you back. I thought things were really going well, I've fallen in love with you. What can I do to make things better?" He asked me. He was taking the entire problem on himself; which made me feel even guiltier.

"Michael; I'm so sorry, you aren't the problem I am. When we met; I was getting over a bad experience with relationships, I thought I could just glide into a relationship with you and everything would magically get better. Instead, I have been keeping you as close as I can and at the same time keep you at a distance. I really like you a lot Michael; I'd like a chance to make it up to you if you'd give me a second chance." I said, trying not to get teary-eyed.

He reached out for my hand and held it, "I had a feeling that maybe you had been in a bad relationship; but I didn't want to pry. You should have said something; maybe I could have helped more. How about this; we start over, we be honest and open with each other. You can take the lead and we can go as fast or slow as you want." He smiled and kissed my hand.

"Thank you; I'd like that. Thanks for giving me a second chance. Do you have plans tonight?" I wanted to make an effort with Michael. Normally I wouldn't make plans on a Monday; I would be watching RAW, by myself.

"Not yet, what did you have in mind?" He grinned.

"Well, I thought maybe I could cook dinner and then on Monday nights I usually watch WWE professional wrestling; do you think you'd like to stay after dinner and watch it with me?" I held my breath while waiting for him to answer.

"I never would have guessed you were into wrestling. I've never watched, so you'll have to constantly explain what's going on to me; but it sounds like a fun evening. Can I bring anything?" Michael smiled at me and gave my hand a squeeze.

"No, just yourself; let's say 6pm for dinner?" I smiled back at him. He agreed and before we headed back to work we shared a hug. I was feeling better now that we had talked and I was able to get through the rest of the day without having a nervous breakdown. I made a run to the grocery store and picked up the ingredients I would need to make dinner. I decided on an Italian pasta bake with garlic bread. I picked out a nice red wine to go with our meal and headed to my apartment in order to start cooking. It was timed perfectly; once the knock on my door came, everything was ready to come out of the oven. I let Michael in and took his coat from him; then showed him to my dinner table, which I had managed to get set while the food was cooking. I pulled the food out and put everything on the table; joining Michael there.

"The food smells amazing! I would have been happy if you had cooked a frozen pizza for me; so this is a real treat, thank you Iris." He grinned. I couldn't help but blush as I served our food. Michael helped by pouring the red wine. "So what got you into watching professional wrestling?"

"You know Angie, the secretary? She is a huge fan and she got me hooked on it." I chuckled.

"Have you ever been to see it live?" Michael asked me, I enjoyed the fact he seemed interested in what I enjoyed.

"I've been to a few live shows; nothing big, they were house shows. Which means they weren't filming it for their TV programs; I've never been to a pay-per-view event, maybe some time." I smiled. We continued to chat and things started to go back to feeling like it had been. After we were finished eating he even helped me wash the dishes; despite the fact I told him he was a guest and didn't need to do that. We each grabbed our glasses of wine and moved into the living room; I got nervous, it was the first time I had shared the one piece of Dean I held on to. I couldn't tell him about that part of it; but felt like letting him in to this part of my life was a positive change. We sat on the couch next to each other and started watching RAW. I laughed a lot while trying to explain all the storylines that were going on. Michael lifted my legs up and put them across his lap and I found myself getting comfortable. Bad News Barrett came out and was complaining yet again about his title being stolen. I started to explain what was happening to Michael when Dean's music hit; I held my breath for a few minutes. I put my head back into the evening with Michael; I explained who Dean was and what he had done.

"So he stole this other guy's title? Why?" Michael asked me.

"Well Barrett hasn't been defending his title, and Dean feels that he would be a better champion and would make the title special again." It didn't even don on me that I had used Wade's last name but referred to Dean as Dean.

"So, I take it he was the bad relationship?" Michael looked over at me and I could feel myself cringe.

"Yes, he was. I'm not ready to talk about what happened yet, I'm sorry." I looked over at him, wondering if this is what would cause him to call it quits.

"That's ok, Iris. When you're ready you will talk about it. I'm glad you shared with me that it was him; it means a lot that you were honest about it. I can see why you were attracted to him; he's a good looking guy, it's too bad he didn't treat you better." I put my legs down off his lap and kissed him. I stopped paying attention to RAW all together as Michael and I made out. I made the first move and straddled his lap, deepening our kiss. We didn't pull away from each other until we were both gasping for air. Michael stood up taking me with him; I wrapped my legs around his waist and directed him to my bedroom. This would be the first time I had sex with anyone since Dean. We undressed each other very quickly. Michael took his time kissing, caressing and teasing me; until I just couldn't take it anymore. I begged him to fuck me. As he kissed me deeply, I felt him push into me; it made me moan. He started a slow, passionate pace; kissing my neck and breasts as his cock stroked inside me. The pace continued at the same speed; but I longed for the way Dean fucked me. "Oh god Michael; you feel so good, please baby harder!" I moaned out, hoping to get what I needed.

"Mmmm…Iris, you're so beautiful; your body is amazing." He responded, but still the pace stayed slow; I thrust up at him hard thinking that it would demonstrate what I wanted. He still kept the pace the same, I was desperate; finding it hard to keep up my excitement. Michael wanted to make love; I wanted to fuck and the difference wasn't working. I took control again and rolled us over so that I was on top. I was determined to get what I needed. I started to ride him; I was building a faster rhythm which was building the fire back up within me. That was until Michael took ahold of my hips and slowed me down. "No need to rush things, we have plenty of time beautiful." Michael whispered to me. I wanted to cry in frustration. I relaxed my body; hoping that I could get into this pace myself. Michael's breathing started becoming shallower, until he was panting. I knew he was close, I could feel his cock throbbing inside my tunnel. I wasn't anywhere close. He cried out my name as he released into me; he continued to stroke, murmuring encouragements to me to join him. I knew it wasn't going to happen; so I faked my orgasm, apparently I did a good job of it because he kissed me deeply and pulled out of my pussy. Michael pulled me close, kissed my cheek and moments later I was listening to his soft snore. I wanted to scream; my body cried for a release. I ended up bringing myself to my orgasm quietly while lying next to him.

The next morning we kissed one another and headed off to work. I felt awful; worn out and it wasn't in a good way. I wondered if maybe this was a one-time thing, maybe he was nervous or truly thought he was being sweet and loving to me. In truth he was; but there was intensity and an excitement that wasn't there, I missed it. I thought I should give him another chance; so several weeks later after another wonderful date, we tried again. This time was more direct about it; I told him I wanted to try being a little more forceful. This time started out better; we seemed to be on the same page, but just as I was almost there he slowed down the pace. Again that evening I faked an orgasm before sneaking off to my bathroom to get myself off. I sat in there for quite a while, I knew I wasn't happy. As sweet and wonderful as Michael was; as much as I enjoyed our nights out and how well he treated me, I knew I needed to end it. The next morning over breakfast; I broke things off. He was a gentleman about it; though I could tell he was very disappointed. He kissed my cheek, wished me happiness and told me if I changed my mind he would be there. Michael left and I sat on my couch; pulling my tablet out, it took no time at all to find out what I needed to know. I called Miranda and asked if there was any way I could take some time off. She sweetly asked me if everything was ok; and I said things were fine; I just needed some time away. She granted me a few weeks of vacation; since I hardly ever asked for time and I started packing.

I arrived in Charlotte, NC later that evening. I called the one person I thought might know where I could find who I was looking for. "Roman? Yes; it's me Iris, no I'm good thanks. Do you happen to know where Dean is?" I waited for him to respond and prayed that he would tell me.

"As a matter of fact baby girl; a bunch of us are at a club. Are you in Charlotte?" He asked sounding a bit surprised.

"Yes. Roman I need to see him; which club are you at?" Roman proceeded to tell me which club and say that he looked forward to seeing me again. If I didn't know any better; I would have sworn I could hear a smile in his voice. "Thanks; please don't tell him I'm coming." He quickly agreed. I hailed a taxi and headed for the club. When I arrived, the doorman let me right in; not that he would have been able to stop me. I was on a mission. The club was packed; but I just kept looking, then I spotted him. He was on the dance floor with some brunette, she was facing the direction I was headed. The poor woman never saw it coming when I jerked her away from him and screamed for her to get lost. I apparently must have looked a bit insane; because the woman put her hands up in the air and left the area. When I turned around Dean was just standing there; looking at me with the biggest grin.

"Angel; you just scared my date off. I hope you have a good explanation for that." He tried to look angry; but I knew in my heart he wasn't angry at all. I didn't say anything at all; just walked over and kissed him deeply. Seconds later; I felt his hands wrap in my hair as he pulled me closer. Dean pulled away; looking me in the eye. "We need to talk, come on." He took my hand and I followed him to the table where Roman and Seth were seated. "Sorry guys; I'm calling it a night and headed back to the hotel." Roman smiled at me and I blushed.

"Hi Roman, Hi Seth; see you later maybe." I said shrugging as I followed Dean again when he walked off. We got into his rental truck and drove as fast as legally possible back to the hotel the WWE had taken over. We managed to get through the lobby; but the second the door to the elevator closed, Dean backed me against the wall and kissed me. His tongue probing at my bottom lip trying to gain access to my mouth; which I granted after a few minutes. Miraculously, by the time the door opened on his floor we were separated; I was especially grateful since there were people waiting to take the elevator down. We arrived at the door to the suite he was sharing with Roman and Seth and he managed to simultaneously slide the key in the lock and push me inside the room. He backed me against the wall just inside the suite and kissed me hard again; before pulling away.

"You and I do need to talk before anything else, Angel. There is no way I'm touching you again, until we do; got it?" He asked. I nodded in agreement; I completely understood his concern and what he was saying. After all; I could get him going and then call the cops on him, I had granted him a reprieve before. I couldn't blame him for being cautious. He led me over to the couch; and sat down with me in his lap. "What are you doing here Angel?"

I wasn't sure how to start; I wanted to tell him that I needed him and wanted him desperately, I wanted to tell him that my life wasn't the same without him. I also wanted to make it clear that what happened that night wouldn't be forgiven again. "I missed you. I'll admit that. I tried so hard to move on with someone else; but as good as he was to me, he couldn't understand what I needed. I will admit that to you right now; however, if that night ever happens again or worse you will never see me again, even if it means I'm alone until the day I die! You said you were sorry for that night and that it would never happen again; prove it! Prove to me that you meant it; that I can trust you, because honestly I do have someone who will take me back if you screw up. Please…don't screw up!" I said to him. I watched his face go from concerned that this might be a trap; to realizing that I was giving him the second chance he had asked for almost 4 months ago. His face softened, he reached his hand up and stroked my cheek softly.

"Iris; do you have any idea how losing you affected me? I lost match, after match, after match and that was due to the fact I knew how much I had hurt you. I loved you. I still love you; I prayed every day that you would come back and I could correct that wrong. I promised you once before that I would never hurt you; that I would be the best thing to ever happen to you. I screwed up; and since then, I have lived with the consequences of my actions. When I showed up at your doorstep months ago; I truly thought you would just forgive me and that it would be over. That wasn't the case at all; you stood up to me, as much as you may have wanted to forgive me and let me back in; you stuck to your beliefs. I don't know that if you took me back that night that things would have been ok after that; I couldn't have promised to treat you better that night and been honest. When you sent me away that night; I realized just how badly I had fucked things up. You're the most forgiving person I have ever met; and for you to send me away, that was a slap in the face for me. You are giving me a second chance? Really?" He asked me.

"I am; but this is it, beyond this we're over unless you change." I responded, but looked sternly at him.

Dean grinned at me; hoisting me up with him off the couch. "I'll earn it Angel!" He looked me in the eye; but we didn't move from our spot on the floor. "If I told you how badly I needed you right now; would that be inappropriate?" He asked, feeling me out.

"It would be absolutely inappropriate; but if you don't, I may internally combust!" I said with a smile.


	8. Chapter 8

Dean picked me up quickly and threw me over his shoulder which made me laugh. My head resting on his back as he carried me to his bedroom; he kicked the door shut once we were in the room and he gently dropped me on the bed. "I can't have you internally combusting Angel; so I guess I better help you with that little issue. " Dean grinned and lifted his shirt over his head. I watched as he pulled off his jeans; I unconsciously licked my lips anticipating what was going to happen next. I laughed as he crawled up onto the bed in just his boxer briefs. Once he reached my waist he worked on taking my pants off; I lifted my hips up as he peeled them off me, he moved up further and made quick work of my shirt. He threw my clothes off to one side of the bed and headed back down the bottom of the bed. He sat for a minute just looking at me in my bra and panties; grinning like a Cheshire Cat. I couldn't imagine what he was planning until he kissed one of my ankles. I looked at him; with a questioning expression. "Mine." He said. Then he ran his tongue from my ankle, up my inner thigh to my knee. He kissed my knee. "Mine." Dean repeated, before running his tongue further up my inner thigh; getting dangerously close to my cloth covered pussy. He moved up above the top of my panties, placing kisses over my stomach. "Mine. Mine. Mine." His tongue dragged up my abdomen until he reached my bra; he removed it with a grin. He then kissed my left nipple, giving it a tug with his teeth. "Mine." Moving over he kissed the right nipple giving it a tug as well. "Mine." He kissed up my neck and then moved to my mouth; capturing mine and kissing me possessively, he finally pulled away from the kiss. "Definitely Mine!"

"So are you trying to say that I'm yours?" I chuckled.

"Iris, I told you the night we met; the thought of you with any other man drives me crazy. You were mine the second you yelled out you wanted me at the live show. I screwed up, but now I fully intend to keep you with me." Dean said before kissing me again. Now I admit; I'm not usually ok with a guy who is overly possessive, I'm independent and if Dean every got out of control with it I would set things straight. I do have to say that having him say I'm his and that he's jealous about me being with someone else does make me feel special. I watched him move back down my body and slide my panties down my legs. "God; I've missed seeing this beautiful body Angel!" Dean used his hands to push my legs open wide; he moved up just a bit and dipped his head down running his tongue between my folds and flicking it against my clit with a long stroke. My back arched in pleasure as I let out a moan; he used his tongue to tease the sensitive bundle of nerves that he knew would drive me crazy. A surprised yelp escaped me as he thrust two fingers into my wetness; making sure he rubbed my g-spot with each stroke. He set a maddening pace with his fingers and went back to using his tongue on my clit. He was hell bent on sending me over the cliff into ecstasy and I loved it! I could feel it; it was like a fireball getting larger and larger until it consumed me entirely, it was the most intense thing I had ever experienced. My clear vision replaced by stars; my voice unable to make any noise at all, it felt like I was shattering from the inside out. Dean lapped at my pussy like a starving cat drinking a bowl of milk; his attention prolonged my sweet agony for several more minutes, making my body feel like it was made of jelly.

The first actual word I was able to vocalize was his name, in between pants for the oxygen I needed in my lungs. I looked down to see him grinning at me; He covered my body with his own and kissed me wildly. The taste of his mouth combined with the taste of me was like my new favorite drug. I sucked on Dean's tongue, only stopping to gasp as he thrust all of his hard length into me with one stroke. He started slowly if I hadn't just had the most intense orgasm of my life just a few seconds before; it would have been an unbearable reminder of the relationship I had just left. "Please; Please Dean faster," my plea was met with a chuckle.

"Aww…Angel, was this sweet little kitty neglected? No worries; Iris, I fully intend to make sure it will be treated much better now!" I felt him pull almost all the way out and thrust hard back inside me. I greeted the move by wrapping my legs around his waist and running my fingernails down his back. He repeated the act a few more times, emphasizing the last time with a slap on my clit. I moaned loudly and pushed my hips up at him. He thrust back inside my pussy and started to speed up his rhythm; he felt so damn good and the faster pace encouraged me to thrust my hips back at him. This was exactly what I wanted and needed; Dean made eye contact with me and smiled. "Bend your knees baby; I want to try something new with you." I was intrigued, so I bent my knees up. Dean pushed my knees towards my chest and thrust into my pussy; getting deeper than I had ever experienced before. He started to fuck me harder and faster; the room filled with the noises of our moans and skin slapping against skin. I could feel him throbbing inside me and I figured he was as close to cumming as I was.

"Cum with me Dean, I'm so close and I want to orgasm with you." I pleaded breathlessly to him. Dean leaned closer and captured my lips in an intense kiss. He pulled away from the kiss and smiled.

"How could any man refuse a request like that Angel? Tell me when you're ready baby." I pulled him back in for another kiss. I moaned into his mouth and pulled back moments later.

"Fuck Dean! Now…right now!" I cried out to him. Within in seconds we were both screaming each other's name and releasing at the same time. Dean let my knees down; he pulled out of me slowly, moving beside me and gathering me into his arms. We spent the next 30 minutes lying in each other's arms and enjoyed the afterglow. I playfully sucked gently against his neck; making Dean chuckle.

"Are you trying to mark me Iris? Letting everyone know I'm yours? If you keep that up I'm going to have to visit the make-up people so they can cover this up." He chuckled again. I nipped at his chin and kissed him. He kissed me back. We stayed cuddled together silently for a few minutes until Dean spoke again. "So this guy who would take you back if I fucked up again, who is he?" I looked at him; I wasn't really surprised that he was curious I just wasn't expecting him to ask so soon.

"His name is Michael; he was a new doctor working at our lab." I sighed. "He was a nice guy, he treated me well and I know he was in love with me. I liked him in return; but I wasn't being honest with him. I had been thinking about you over the last few months; even dreaming about you. It wasn't fair to him, so I ended things. He told me if I ever changed my mind; he would take me back."

Dean nodded, "Well hope he doesn't hold his breath on that; you're back with me now and I'm not letting you go again. Speaking of that; I have a little bit of time off coming up soon, I told you that I thought you'd love it in Vegas and the last visit was anything but that. Come home with me Iris; I swear this Vegas trip will be a completely different experience for you." He looked at me hopefully. I was very nervous about going back to Vegas with him. Yet; if I was going to give him a second chance, I couldn't very well dictate that the second chance would only be allowed in certain places. I needed to give him a chance to earn my trust back.

"Alright; I'll go home with you to Vegas, on one condition." I looked at him sternly. I knew it would make him nervous.

"Name it Angel; tell me what it is and I'll do it." Dean answered quickly.

"During our time there you need to do two things for me. The first is; for either a sunrise or sunset you take me back to the rock in the desert." I watched Dean smile. "The second is: one night while we're there, you plan and execute a make-up date for the one you ruined that night."

Dean grinned at me, "Isn't that two conditions Iris?"

"No; it's one, consider it a Part A and a Part B of the same condition. Consider this your opportunity to show me the romantic side of you. You claimed that you were the best man for me; if you are that person, then you have a romantic side. I'm going to make you prove it." I smiled at him.

"Ok; I will show you that I can be romantic, just don't let that get out. Otherwise, I'll have fan girls popping up more than they already do." He wrapped his arms around me. "Thank you Iris; I won't disappoint you again." He kissed my forehead.

Six days later Dean and I boarded a flight to Los Vegas; once we landed Dean rented a truck for us. I was surprised when he didn't drive towards the resorts on the strip; where we had stayed during the last trip, instead we ended up in a very nice gated condominium community. Dean parked the truck in front of one of the condos and helped me get out. He took the initiative to grab both of our bags and motioned me to follow him. He put the key in the lock and let us in; it was a beautiful condo, a lot of open space which made it look huge. The furnishings were very tasteful, and were minimal. I walked down a hallway and found a master bedroom, a guest bedroom across the hall and a very large bathroom which had a Jacuzzi tub and a separate walk-in shower. I headed back to the living room area and followed it through into the kitchen; which was a medium-sized room; however, whoever had designed it used every inch of space to its fullest. I smiled. Between the kitchen and the living room was a small area set up for dining. Dean smiled and hit a button in the living room to reveal a little panel in the wall across from the sofa that slid open to show a fireplace. "This is a beautiful condo Dean; did you rent it for our visit?" I asked.

"No Iris; this is my place, well not that I'm here very much but I own it anyways. I thought we'd stay here this time around, a little more private and casual. I usually stay here on my time off; I'll only stay in the resorts if we're here for a show. I know it probably seems silly to own a place I'm rarely at." He was going to say something else, but I stopped him.

"No; I absolutely understand it. You wanted a place that was yours; a spot you know would be here and that you could go to when you just needed to get away from everything and be normal for a while." I said.

"Yes! That is exactly why I bought it." We sat down on the couch; he seemed surprised that I understood why he had done it. "I grew up in a shit-hole apartment in the projects of Cincinnati. I thought places that looked like this were way out of my league. I figured I'd always be living in those housing units; so when I signed with the WWE and decided that Vegas is where I wanted to call home, I bought this place after seeing it once. I did want a place that for once I didn't have to worry about disappearing on me and felt like an accomplishment." He looked over at me.

"I felt the same way when I got into my first apartment; like I was finally on my own and could take on the world. It was just nice to be out on my own and not stuck with my family anymore. Don't get me wrong; I love my family, I was always just the odd duck in the family. I was a science nerd, I read textbooks and medical journals for fun and unlike my older sister, I wasn't athletic or popular. I know they love me; they just weren't sure what to do with me sometimes. I think that they felt uncomfortable around me because I was smart." I looked over at him.

"Well Angel; they missed out. You do amazing work that saves lives; I don't think you can get more impressive than that."

"Well I think this is a beautiful place, thank you for letting me see it." I smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Why don't you go get settled in the master bedroom and I will get us some lunch, sound good?" Dean kissed me back quickly. I nodded and put my bags in the master bedroom; I looked out the sliding glass window and realized that there was a balcony out there with a hot tub. The view was beautiful from the balcony; on the Verizon you could see the start of the desert, there were a few rocky areas that broke up the flat landscape. I imagined that in the evening, when it was cooler you could sit in the hot tub and look up into the sky to see the blanket of stars above you. I managed to tear myself away from the view and headed back down the hallway towards the kitchen. To my surprise; Dean was actually cooking something. I walked up beside him and smiled. "Hey Iris, all settled in?"

"Yes, what are you making?" I smiled at him.

"I thought I would make us some tomato basil soup and my favorite thing to go with that; grilled cheese sandwiches." He gave me a proud smile.

"You're making Tomato Basil soup? Like from a can and adding some milk?" I looked at him. He frowned at me and then smacked my ass lightly.

"No, not from a can; I used my blender to blend the fresh tomatoes and the basil together with some milk and now I'm cooking it." He pointed to the sink where the blender was soaking. I chuckled.

"Ok; I had no idea you knew how to cook, can I help you by making the grilled cheese sandwiches?" I asked.

"If you think you can handle the same culinary standards as me." He winked at me. "Feel free to use the Panini pan in the cabinet right there." I just shook my head and got started with my task. The two of us worked side by side until our lunch was completed. It was nice; it felt like something a couple would do together. We finished eating and Dean surprised me by pulling out an envelope. I looked at it for a moment. "Go ahead; take it and open it." Dean urged me. I reached out for it and took it from him. The envelope had my name on the front in Dean's handwriting; I carefully opened it, not sure what I would find inside. I found a piece of paper inside; and pulled it out. It was a letter written by Dean to me.

"What is this?" I asked looking at it without really reading it.

"It's a letter I gave to Roman to give to you the day he went to check on you after that night. When you said you didn't want to hear from me again; he felt he should honor that and he kept it to himself. I thought about mailing it to you; but I thought you might shred it without reading it or return it to me. I really wanted you to read it." He said looking me in the eye.

"Dean; you don't have to show this to me, it's over and done with." I said looking back at him.

"Please; just read it Iris, I know you've forgiven me already. I'm just not sure I have forgiven myself yet." I took a deep breath and started to read it.

'Dear Iris,

Last night was the lowest point in my life. I took something beautiful and full of light and turned it into something ugly and black. You had every right to leave me; I think I would have been disappointed if you hadn't. There is absolutely no excuse I could come up with to justify what I did to you. I never should have put my hands on you and I admit to you now that I did know better. I broke promises to you; but the biggest promise I broke was to me! I told myself so many times as a boy that I would never hurt a woman; I heard my mother being abused by her clients all the time. I knew I was too small and too weak to go out and fight those men off her. I did however know I was better than those men and that I wouldn't ever hurt a woman like that. I became no better than those men last night and it makes me physically ill. I know I could never expect you to take me back; but if I ever got so lucky to get a second chance, just know that you wouldn't have to worry about leaving me. I never want to be those men again; Iris. I have notified the Vegas police about our altercation and told them it was completely my fault. Due to Vegas' strict domestic violence laws; I have been arraigned and plead guilty to the charge. I am; as of last night serving two years of probation. Any other issue sends me to jail; I am also attending anger management classes, not court ordered I am doing it on my own. I am sorrier than you will ever know and yet even when you're gone you have made me a better man. I wish you much joy and love; you deserve that.

Dean'

I read the letter over and over again; trying to let everything in it sink in. When I looked up at him he handed me the court paperwork that confirmed that he had turned himself in for breaking the domestic violence laws and that he was to serve two years' probation. It also stated as he had written in the letter than any further violation would mean he'd serve the rest of that sentence in jail. I looked all of that over several times. I had no idea what to say. "Why did you do this?" I finally said looking at him.

"I broke the law; a law I have personal experience with, no one ever called the cops for my mom. Partially because we knew the cops wouldn't care about an alcoholic, drug addicted, prostitute getting knocked around by a john whose name she wouldn't have even remembered. I have done some bad things Iris; including kidnapping you to begin with, but I knew I wasn't going to hurt you that first night or any night. Then I did. So I did what I knew you weren't going to do to me. I knew that even though you left, you still had feelings for me and wouldn't want me to end up in jail. Leaving would have been punishment enough for me as far as you were concerned. I couldn't let myself get away with that though." Dean looked at me and frowned. "Don't cry Angel; I didn't mean for you to cry." He came over to me and gently pulled me from my chair, holding me tightly.

"It was just a few bruises; which I know is still wrong and you're right you should have never put your hands on me. This though? This is going to stay on your record for the rest of your life; any place that requires a background check will see that. It could cause so many problems for you!" I cried. He put his finger under my chin; lifting my head up and then brushed away the tears.

"Angel; I did it for myself. I had to hold myself accountable for my actions. I don't intend to break the law again; so I serve out my probation and prove to myself that I am better than those men. I needed this smack in the face; both of them." He placed several small kisses on my lips. "Now...shhhh…I can't stand to see my Angel crying. The flight was long, how about we lie on the couch and watch movies. Just relax together." I nodded my head.


End file.
